


The Broken Clock

by PsychicBeagle



Series: Unraveling Threads [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Also Rated for Fight Scenes, And Post-Genocide Route, Infinite Worlds Theory, Occasional angst, Past Deaths (They Didn't Get Better), Past Deaths (They Got Better), Post-Pacifist Route, Puns of Every Flavor, Rated for Occasional Potty Mouths, Slice of Life, Time Gets Dunked
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:00:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 62,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5584627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychicBeagle/pseuds/PsychicBeagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, it's the perfect day for a game of catch. At least it would be if not for this headache...<br/>The weight of a dirty blade, hands decaying on your shoulders, eyes digging into the back of your head. Why do they all look so angry?<br/>The surface promises a bright future, but you can't get those visions out of your head. What's going on, and why is the you in that mirror smiling so creepily?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pilgrimage

The sun felt warm on your face, a heat matched by the joy flooding your heart. You never considered how much you had taken it for granted until it was taken away. Further down the mountain, you heard excited footsteps and rattling bones, followed soon after by equally fervent, yet somewhat slowed, steps.

  
“Um… Undyne, could you slow down a little, p-p-please?” a nervous voice echoed.

  
“Sorry, Alphys! The future waits for no one!” another, more gruff tone replied.

  
“Actually, I have to agree with the good Doctor,” a far deeper voice announced. “Huh, I haven’t run like, huh, this in years.”

  
“OUT OF BREATH ALREADY, YOUR MAJESTY?” asked a higher, scratchier voice. “NEVER FEAR, SIR! ALLOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO INSPIRE YOU! OBSERVE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!” In the distance, you swore you saw a red and white speck leaving behind a massive, billowing cloud of dirt, as well as harsh coughs from all the others. “OOPS. UH, SORRY FRIENDS!”

  
“wow bro,” said yet another voice, almost nonchalantly. “looks like you’re in a real papy-rush.” The former’s pained screams reverberated through the mountainside. Seeing your friends enjoying themselves so much filled you with Determination. You felt a Save form.

  
“I suppose we should follow, too,” a warm voice said. You turned to your right, looking up at Toriel’s amused smile. Her towering, goat-like visage, though foreign to all you had known until today, was comforting. “Before that, however, I have a question.” You looked at her intently, a nonverbal sign that she had your attention.

  
“Those few short hours we had together in the Ruins were some of the happiest I’ve had in a long time. It felt good to be a mother again, even if only for a short while.” Her eyes glazed over slightly, memories running through her mind. You knew who she was thinking about, but didn’t have the heart to interrupt. “I was wondering if you would care to let that last a bit longer. You know, stay with me, here on the surface.”

  
The warmth in your heart spread through your entire body. You remembered how much fun it had been in the Ruins (encounters with a certain flower aside.) Being welcomed into her home, reading with her, the delicious butterscotch-cinnamon pie she gave you. You remembered the pain in her gaze when you asked how to leave, her stern declaration that she wanted to protect you, the tears in her eyes as you refused to be held there.

  
You remembered the hug she gave you before returning to her home deeper in the Underground and the hollowness that followed, one that was almost filled (ironically) by a pair of skeletons. Almost. That feeling of guilt persisted throughout your journey, haunting you even more viciously than that small voice whispering uncertainties about those you met in your ear. Her sorrow tore you up inside, and now she was giving you the chance to patch it up. You were so focused on your thoughts that you didn’t realize that you were just staring at her, looking kind of silly the whole time. Her expression became somber as the seconds passed.

  
“I understand if you do not, of course. You must have somewhere else to be. I mean, this is your world after all…” Your eyes shot open, realizing your mistake, as you quickly grasped her hand. You gave the most sincere smile you could as you spoke.

  
“I’d like that,” you said softly. Her sadness was replaced by glee, pulling you once more into a hug. You did your best to return the favor, though your diminutive size made it difficult. It seemed to last for hours, though you knew it was more like a few minutes.

  
“I promise to protect you, and this time I will keep it,” she said, pulling away to reveal she had teared up anyway. You reached out, wiping them away with the baggy sleeve of your oversized sweater. “Let us see if we can catch up to the others.”

  
She moved for the path down the mountain, guiding you by the hand. You spared one more glance at the setting sun, thinking about all that was to come, for good and for ill. Either way, you didn’t have to face the future alone. You knew your family would stand by you as you would stand by them.

  
Yes, that sounded like a wonderful idea.

  
-  
A cold wind blew through the palace. The halls whistled, empty of all life. Flowers stirred, somewhat wilted from months without proper care. Upon them lied an old cloak and crown, stained by a dark grey dust. Another, larger flower was almost completely withered, its stem cleanly cut from the ground.

  
“Ah, good times,” I said, my voice rough. The sight of the king’s garb returned such beautiful, fulfilling memories. The surprise on his face when I cut him down, the further betrayal by that weed, finally ridding myself of the troublesome little kill stealer.

  
Still though, I felt empty. Nothing else gave me any challenge after that. The cheating little skeleton was the last notable hurdle. Everyone else from that point on fell like dominoes. The LOVE was glorious, power coursing through my veins, and yet I had nothing left to use it on. This world, I realized, was useless to me now.

  
Suddenly, I felt a spark elsewhere. Through my determination, I found another set of saves. Another world I had yet to touch. The thought made me chortle. I just needed a way to get there.

  
That Sans guy seemed to know quite a bit about what I had been doing to time. Maybe he would have the answer for me. Yes, a way to reach that new, untapped world. A new populace to terrorize. Even more EXP I hadn't yet claimed. Maybe I should go rectify that.

  
“That’s a wonderful idea!”


	2. Instability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your first night back on the surface! After a day like that, sleep should come easily, right?

The campfire roared, burning away the longest day of your life. You sat near the flame, surrounded by many of the friends you had made. At the edge of the forest’s clearing, Undyne was setting up large, camouflage tents. When asked about the coloring, she explained, “So no one sneaks up on us!” Alphys sat on the ground near her, passed out, recovering from the long-distance sprint she had been dragged into.

 

Toriel hovered near the fire, attempting to heat a large pot of soup. The smell suggested it was rich in potatoes. Papyrus glanced between the food and a notepad, writing feverishly whenever he noticed something notable in her technique. Sans sat across from you, asleep on a tree stump. Various other monsters wandered about the grounds, many of whom stopped to thank you for all you had done.

 

Beside you, hunched over slightly, was Asgore. He was looking into the fire, occasionally glancing up at Toriel. You could read him all too well. You tried thinking of ways to take his mind off of her, but nothing seemed quite right. You were starting to worry.

 

“Frisk,” he said, breaking your train of thought. “I never did apologize for everything I’ve done, did I?” Your squinted eyes drooped, not caring for his own melancholy expression at all. “I understand if you’ve anything against me. I haven’t been myself as of the last decade or so. I don’t expect forgiveness, but I hope you understand my reasoning.” You intercepted his forlorn explanation with a pat on his forearm, making him look directly at you. You mustered the warmest smile you could in the frosty, mid-autumn weather.

 

“Don’t blame you,” you said, taking him by surprise.

 

“Truly? But I almost… I mean, I…”

 

“Still alive, right?” you said, keeping his guilty stuttering to a minimum.

 

“Well, yes.”

 

“Good intentions?”

 

“Of course, but through such harsh means…”

 

“Nothing to hold against you then.” The conviction in your voice finally broke through, prompting him to grin as well.

 

“Can’t argue with sound logic,” he replied, laughing a little at how silly he must have sounded. “I suppose we never actually fought in the end, anyhow. Tori ensured that much.” He rubbed his side, nursing the slight burns her preventative blow left. You nodded, though the dishonesty left a sour taste in your mouth.

 

In truth, you remembered your fight all too well. His attempts at making small talk, his refusal to accept your mercy, that tiredness in his voice as he ran out of strength. That was another time, though. A timeline you saw one time too many. A timeline you erased. Reloading your save ensured that only you remembered that fight, as well as Flowey’s initial play for power. Your heart raced at the thought, breathing intensifying ever so slightly in an effort to calm yourself.

 

Something strange filled your Soul. A certain dread that felt almost familiar, though from when was unknown to you. Following your gut, you turned your head forward to see Sans had woken up. His eyes locked on yours with a focus yet unseen in him. It was almost like he wasn’t looking at you so much as through you. Almost like he knew something. He hadn’t frightened you this much since he revealed how your first encounter could have turned out if not for Toriel. The weight of his judging eyes sent shivers through you.

 

“It is chilly out here, isn’t it?” Asgore said, mistaking your body language. Good. No need for him to get shaken by something you don’t understand either. A heavy cloth fell over your shoulders. You instantly recognized Asgore’s violet cape. You looked at him in confusion. “Consider it an official burial of the hatchet. Not that either of us wanted the thing in the first place.”

 

You wrapped yourself in his gift, showing gratitude even though you didn’t really need it. Your striped sweater was more than thick enough, but a few more layers wouldn’t hurt. Soon you were completely covered, the cape spiraling down your body. It brought a smile to your face. You almost didn’t notice the dread flee as you snuggled deeper into your makeshift cocoon. A glance showed that Sans had ceased his intense stare, instead opting for his usual relaxed slouch.

 

“hey, kid, something wrong?” he asked. “kinda looks like your head’s all tangled up.” He was obviously trying to kill the tension, and it worked. You couldn’t help but softly laugh at the pun.

 

“Tired,” you said. This time, you didn’t have to lie. The last rest you got was hours ago, after your fight with Asriel (which also went forgotten by all but you), and even then it wasn’t exactly a good sleep. You had been hanging onto consciousness by a thread since night fell.

 

“You should sleep, then, my child,” Toriel suggested. “Do not fret, I will save some soup for you for when you awaken.” You quite liked that idea.

 

“Come on, pal!” Undyne hollered, jumping slightly as Alphys stirred with a loud snort. She stood stock still, waiting for her exhausted girlfriend to fall back asleep. When she did, Undyne leased a quiet sigh, deciding to keep her voice down for a while. “I’ve got a cozy little tent ready for ya’ right here,” she whispered, patting the shelter in question.

 

You tried to undo the tight wrapping you put yourself in, but was stopped by a wave from Asgore.

 

“”I will be fine without for one night,” he explained. “In fact, I could use some lighter clothes in general. Perhaps a nice short sleeved…” He trailed off, mumbling to himself. You had to agree. The gold armor, while useful in combat, seemed needlessly heavy for any other situation. You decided to help him find a better fit when you got the chance.

 

You crawled into your tent (though it was closer to wiggling seeing as your arms were just as trapped as the rest of you. Good thing Undyne didn’t mind holding the flap open for you.) You turned back around, giving her a thankful nod, before yawning.

 

“Good night,” you said loudly, though with your soft vocals it was still a bit below average volume to everyone else. Pleasantries given, you reclined, quickly falling to sleep.

 

-

 

_You opened your eyes to the sight of snow. It twisted in the air around you,_ _making the world even ten feet ahead blurry at best. There was a river to your left, large_ _ice cubes floating down the stream. You recognized it as the path out of Snowdin where_ _you and Papyrus had fought, but how did you get here?_

 

_There was something in your right hand. It felt heavy and cold to the touch. You_ _raised it, finding the long blade of a knife. It was similar to the rusted one you had found_ _in New Home, though it was much younger. It shined in the low light. Well, most of it did._ _The tip was covered in a dark dust. Wait, dust?_

 

_You felt a familiar dread grip your Soul. Eyes bored into the back of your head,_ _making you turn to face the newcomer. As expected, it was Sans, but not in a way you_ _knew him. He slouched even lower than usual, and he constantly shook. The top of his_ _sockets were tilted down into a scowl, and his left eye radiated with a small, blue light._

 

_It might have been the most intimidating thing you had ever faced._

 

_You drug your feet to turn all the way towards him, to ask what was wrong, but_ _noticed there was a somewhat heavy weight sitting atop them. You looked down and_ _found a white chest plate. A red scarf sat around its neck, and boots and gloves lined_ _the ground around it. All were covered in dust, similar to that on your knife. No, it_ _couldn’t be…_

 

“you,” _Sans said, rattling growing stronger. The light in his eye solidified into a_ _solid ring of fire. Rage filled every aspect of his being, nonexistent muscles tensing._

 

“You, _DIRTYBROTHERKILLER_.” _He blinked out of existence a moment later, his_ _afterimage similar to the static of an old television. The ensuing nausea overshadowed_ _the fact that Papyrus’s attire had vanished as well._

 

‘Did I… did I kill him?’ _you asked yourself. Your stomach twisted. You wanted to_ _throw up._ ‘Why would I kill him? I don’t even want to hurt him! This can’t be real, this can’t be real!’ _Tears ran freely down your face, leaving icy patches in their wake._ ‘Someone, anyone, please wake me up!’

 

_But no one came._

 

_You felt the world shift. It blurred, refocusing soon after. Golden light streamed_ _around you. Tall pillars lined the gilded hall. This was where Sans told you the nature of_ _LOVE. The skeleton in question was still there, glaring at you from across the chamber._ _He looked even less pleased to see you than before. He was in the middle of a speech._

 

"for a while, i thought we could be friends. too late now, i guess." _Too late? But_ _you were friends. You couldn’t understand what he meant. "_ i can’t afford to not care anymore. let’s finish this." _He pulled his left hand from his pocket, hanging limply from_ _his arm. It tensed, blue magic once more filling his eye. The same aura covered his_ _hand. Gravity began to shift, just like when you had fought Papyrus. Sans threw his_ _hand upwards, the weight of your body following suit…_

 

-

 

You woke up with a gasp, body still weightless from the momentary ring of blue magic. Sweat dotted your face, and two paths of tears moistened the top of your cape blanket. You loosened the binding in a sudden bout of claustrophobia. The heat in your shelter felt oppressive.

 

The dream hung over you, casting a shadow darker than you’d ever known. Fresh air had always helped you think more clearly. A quick walk in the woods sounded lovely. You poked your head out from the tent’s flaps, scanning to make sure no one was watching. Someone had put out the campfire, and you saw the vague silhouettes of sleeping monsters in every tent. No motion or sound registered in your mind.

 

You climbed out, standing in the cool air. Already your stress was fading away, though the unpalatable core of your problems remained. You remembered a river ran only a few yards beyond the tree line, the perfect place to chew on your visions.

 

On your way out of the clearing, you saw Greater Dog, sleeping in the bushes near what you assumed to be Asgore’s tent (the royal seal on the entrance and shadows of large horns tipped you off.) You couldn’t help but lightly pet his head as you passed. His constant smile grew a little bigger. A smile you couldn’t help but mirror upon noticing his back leg kicking slightly.

 

The sweat had stopped, wiped away alongside your tears by the back of your sleeves. The river came into view, its flow just quick enough to make a calming swish. You took a seat on the shore, splashing your hand in the water. Now, completely alone, your thoughts turned to the unsettling dream.

 

What would make you have such horrible visions? You focused closer at the first of the two locations. It came back surprisingly clearly. You’d never had such a perfect recollection of the dreamscape. That was definitely Papyrus’s armor sitting at your feet. The knife in your hands was what killed him. It explained what Sans was upset about at least.

 

But why did you kill Pap? He was one of the first friends you made after the Ruins. No matter what his intentions had been at first, he couldn’t muster actual ill intent. He didn’t know you would die in the process. You couldn’t blame him for anything. Far from it, actually. His puzzles were all so much fun! Even your fight was more of a complex game than a deadly duel.

 

So why on earth would you ever want him dead?

 

A headache hit. Scratch that, it was more of a migraine. Your skull throbbed, and your vision started going dark. You blacked out moments later.

 

-

 

_You found yourself back on the path out of Snowdin. This time, though, Papyrus_ _was looking you down. He looked somewhere between worry and pity._

 

“YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO ENJOY YOURSELF!” _he said. Was he talking_ _about the puzzles? You felt yourself walking towards him, a motion you didn’t will._ “AND NOW YOU’RE MOVING DURING MY EPIC SPEECH! I’M GIVING YOU THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, HUMAN. I KNOW THERE’S GOOD IN YOU SOMEWHERE. GOOD THAT’S REALLY SORRY FOR ALL THOSE MONSTERS YOU HURT BACK THERE. WHAT YOU NEED IS A FRIEND!” _He opened his arms and started walking_ _your way. He wanted to give you a hug. You wanted to return it._

 

‘Don’t trust him.’ _The words came from somewhere deep in your mind._ ‘He’s just trying to make your guard drop. Don’t give him the chance! Kill him now, while you still can!’ _You thought it was a terrible idea! Papyrus could never use that kind of_ _conniving, underhanded approach. He had standards._

 

_Against your pleads, you felt your knife arm move. You rushed forward, plunging_ _your blade under his chest piece. His eyes bugged, and his ribs started dissolving into_ _dust._

 

“DO NOT FRET, HUMAN. I MEANT WHAT I SAID.” _He put his gloved hands on_ _your shoulders, looking you in the eye with the most sincere expression. Coughs_ _wracked his system, dust puffing from his mouth._ “I KNOW YOU CAN BE GOOD. I PROMISE…” _His declaration trailed off, the rest of his body turning to dust. His clothing_ _fell into a pile below you. Footsteps came up behind you, and dread filled you once_ _more._

 

“you,” _Sans started. He didn’t get to finish this time._

 

-

 

You jolted up, sitting straight at the river’s edge. Sweat and tears coated your face. So this is what deja vu was like.

 

“hey, frisk.” Sans’s voice made you jump again, memories of his enraged self bleeding into reality. “couldn’t sleep either, right? yeah, me, too. you could say we…”

 

Whatever he was about to say was stopped by a heavy sigh. You saw him leaning on a tree behind you. “i’ll just jump to the point. we have a lot to talk about with these nightmares. yeah, i know about those, too.” You felt something crawl up your back.

 

Something you didn’t want to confront.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff Hanger, hanging from a cliff!  
> And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger!
> 
> ...
> 
> ...Who let that helicopter in here?


	3. A Bone to Pick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't lie to a skeleton. They have a way of opening you up.

A lump formed in your throat as Sans took a seat by you at the river. You did your best to stare straight ahead, but couldn’t help but glance his way every few seconds, checking for hints of fire in his eyes. Several minutes passed in silence, neither of you willing to say what was on your minds. Finally, Sans coughed, breaking the uncomfortable quiet.

 

“much as i don’t blame you for it, we have to start talking sometime.” You shakily nodded. If he knew anything about your nightmares, you needed to hear it, no matter how awful the truth was. “first off, i have a few questions for ya. have you seen anything wonky with time? specifically, anything **you’ve** done to it?” You nodded once. “it alright if i asked for details?” You had been hiding the Saves since you found out they existed. Now though, you didn’t have any choice but spill the beans.

 

“It started back in the Ruins,” you explained. “Sometimes, I felt pressure build up in my Soul. The room slowed down and sped up. If anyone else noticed, they didn’t say anything. At first, I just thought it was from hitting my head when I fell.” Now for the really uncomfortable part.

 

“When I tried leaving Home, Toriel wouldn’t let me. She didn’t want me to die like the others, like…” You couldn’t bring yourself to say Chara’s name. Something about their name made you cringe. “She tried to fight me off. She thought she could scare me back so she could block the door, or, if nothing else, make sure I was strong enough to survive by… by seeing if I could, _kill_ her.” The word slid out like a thick sludge.

 

“I didn’t want to fight, but she didn’t give me a choice.” Tears threatened to flow. “I thought if I weakened her she would stop, but she didn’t.” You openly cried, your words punctuated by heavy sobs. “She started falling apart right in front of me. All she did was smile, say how proud she was and that I would live. She was proud of me.”

 

“All I felt was guilt. Toriel took me in, kept me healthy and well fed, and I repaid her by killing her. I didn’t want that. I yearned to go back, to try again. Suddenly, I found myself back outside of her house.” You rubbed your throat. It wasn’t often that you spoke this much, and the subject didn’t help.

 

“I went back in to find her still guarding the door, hoping to keep me there. I didn’t know what to think, so I didn’t. Eventually, I got out. Then I let myself think. It was right about when we met that I put the pieces together. That pressure was a Save forming, a time I can blink back to in a pinch. Whenever I died, I went back. Whenever I hurt anyone, I went back.”

 

“that all?”

 

“Well, there was one time where Flowey sent me back, but yeah. That’s it.”

 

“okay, let’s rephrase that,” he said, apparently meaning something else. “was there anything else you could have done?” The question struck you as odd for a moment, but you soon realized something.

 

“The Ruins have always been kind of stuck at the back of my mind. I think I could go back there like that, but it feels… different somehow.” That route backwards felt more final than usual. You got curious. _‘What would happen if I just…’_

 

“STOP.” The density of his demand tapped into something almost primal. You nearly jumped out of your skin, but settled for staring at him, dumbfounded. You were shaking in place, a fact Sans didn’t miss. He winced slightly at the results. “sorry, frisk, but i know that look in your eye. it was like a kid poking around something new. trust me when i say how bad of an idea that would have been.”

 

That sealed it then. He knew exactly what you found. Just how much did he not tell you? You raised your eyebrow in question, throat too sore to risk speaking.

 

“i’ve seen this before. long story short, you almost kicked us all back underground. tori wouldn’t have found you yet, pap wouldn’t be your pal, and undyne would still want your head on a pike. to top it all off, you wouldn’t remember anything from after that point, either. a complete Reset.” Your heart thumped hard.

 

“i know you want to know how i know. this should answer it.” He reached into his coat, pulling out a simple, unmarked lunchbox. The metal wavered between silver and black as light shifted on its surface. He opened the lid, reaching in and retrieving a crown with a red gem set in the center. It was covered in dust. You knew what it was, where it was from, but how did it get here?

 

“this box is special. some other me put this in here, but got wiped away when someone decided to flip the bird at time itself. anything in the box stays there, regardless of anything time travelers, like you, do. Reset as much as you want. you’ll never get rid of this thing now.” So you were right. He plucked it from the timeline where Flowey killed Asgore. If that box saved the crown, was there something else in there? Something that told him everything?

 

“any time i see something screwy in time, i write it down and put it in here. another me made a full catalogue of your powers, though he never specified where he got them from. Save and Reset he called them. the latter is just as i said before, a full wipe. the former is much more safe. you keep all your memories, but can only go back to the last Save you made. works great when you run into trouble you don’t know how to solve at first, apparently. probably be real useful to a slacker like me. infinite tries at anything. who wouldn’t want that?” You giggled at that. At least his mood was good enough to make jokes.

 

“don't get cozy yet,” he said, rubbing the back of his skull. “i might have lied about Resets. the memories aren’t gone forever. same goes for Saves. any memories wiped slowly flow back as time corrects itself, smooths over the cracks you make by filling itself up with the stuff that gets ground off. it usually happens in the form of dreams.”

 

Your poor, abused heart fell at that. _‘So, Papyrus’s death, the fight with Sans,_ _they actually happened?’_ Similar questions bounced in your head, though they all fell silent with a single thought. _‘Did he have the same dreams tonight?’_ You looked at him, and he responded, as though he heard your thoughts.

 

“yeah, i saw the stuff with pap, too. kinda spooked me. i mean, the kid that couldn’t even hurt a tomato killing someone? not likely. you might have seen something i didn’t in there, so i have to ask…” His eyes fell hollow, the void looking through you.

 

“WHYDIDYOUKILLMYBROTHER?” His voice echoed with a thousand tones. You flailed backwards, trying to put as much space between him and you as possible, but were cut short. His hand extended, locking you in place with blue magic. His expression softened, obviously regretful for scaring you again, but he still wanted his answer. You shook your head.

 

“All I remember is a voice in my head. It kept telling me that he was trying to trick me and that I needed to strike first. I didn’t trust it, but my body moved on its own. I would never hurt him, please believe me, but I couldn’t stop myself and I… I…” Your tear studded rambling was cut short by Sans pulling you towards him.

 

You half expected to be thrown into a tree, or even the river, never to be seen again, but he had a surprise up his spacious sleeves. Instead, he pulled you into a hug, using his padded jacket to comfort you. Your body sagged into the embrace, sobbing as quietly as you could. No sense in waking anyone in the camp up with your problems.

 

“c’mon pal, it’s fine, it’s okay…” You lost track of time, hours becoming minutes as you fought to wrestle control back from your sorrow. Eventually, you won, laying still in Sans’s arm. “better?” You nodded into his jacket, pulling yourself back into a sitting position.

 

“i just want to make something clear, alright? i trust you. yeah, if the hall thing was any sign, **that** you did some rotten stuff. i won’t deny that much. **this** you, though, this you is innocent. whatever we see in those dreams from now on, i don’t want you to think you have to avoid me. if you ever need to vent whatever you see there, just find me and i’ll try to settle you down. got it?”

 

“Why trust me?” You hardly trusted you.

 

“well, i don’t think cold hearted sociopaths forgive someone for trying to kill them. or pet dogs for that matter.” Thinking about Greater Dog always made you smile, an automatic association with your game of fetch in Snowdin coming to mind.

 

“‘sides, you’re my little hot dog-stacking buddy. couldn’t hate you if i tried.” And you couldn’t stop yourself from hugging him again, not that you tried.

 

“Okay, but I want you promise something,” you said.

 

“oh, i don’t know. promises and me don’t really get along…” You could see the cheesy grin on his face growing ever bigger.

 

“Oh? When did you go and lose your _spine_?” Your own smile matched his point for point.

 

“heh heh, hanging with me is really gonna wreck your sense of humor.”

 

“Too late!” You both sat there a minute, finding joy in your bad puns. Sans didn’t forget the point of the exercise, though.

 

“alright, frisk, what’s the deal?” Your smile drooped, heavy thoughts pushing away your joking mood.

 

“That me, the one who hurt Papyrus… I know they were a different me, but still me in the end, right?” That sentence would have been severely confusing in any other circumstance. Sans nodded his head slowly. “Well, I’ll be remembering more and more about that me, and that might change things with me me.”

 

“So, I know this is hard, but, if that me and this me ever get to be the same me, I want you to…” The words were hard to find. “Just, if it happens, keep everyone safe from that me. I don’t want to hurt anyone, and you’re the only one who knows anything about this, so please…” You were stopped by a hand on your shoulder.

 

“i get the gist.” He didn’t look too happy about it. “you’re right about one thing. it isn’t an easy thing to do, but i promise to try. cross my heart and all that.” You saw an opening.

 

“What heart?” Sans, realizing his error, let loose a good string of laughs.

 

“you’re learning awful quick. pap’s gonna be in big trouble at this rate.” Your own merriment was ended by another startling thought.

 

“Won’t he remember, too?” The idea of the light hearted optimist seeing his own death produced a vivid terror, as though it broke the rules of nature itself.

 

“chill, kid, i’ve got it. just have to convince him it was a wild nightmare. usually works.” That was comforting, but what about…? “same goes for the others when their time comes. i’ll handle running interference, you keep me posted on what not-frisk was up to. deal?” You shook his hand in an instant, glad to have someone to help you with all this crazy time stuff. Your system was suddenly hit by a heavy yawn, realizing it hadn’t gotten much sleep yet.

 

“c’mon, pal. you need some sleep. we’ll talk about this more later. ‘kay?” Once more, you nodded, taking the hand he offered to help you get up. You both walked back to your tent, stopping to pet Greater Dog again on the way. At Sans’s curious gaze, you shrugged. You just really liked dogs, that’s all.

 

You crawled back into your tent, turning back to tell him goodnight. A pleasantry he returned, along with a gift you didn’t see coming.

 

“here, take this,” he suggested, handing you his heavy jacket. “it’ll help the memories flow a bit easier. don’t need you waking up sweaty every night, right?” But wouldn’t he need it just as much as you? “’s fine. been at the time game for a while. long story, i’ll tell you later. i can take a few harsher nights if it helps you out.” You didn’t know whether to feel more relieved or guilty. Eventually, you settled on grateful, giving him another smile and wave goodnight.

 

Here, alone with your thoughts, you did just that. Think. You knew there was far worse waiting for you somewhere in the dreamscape. Add that to all the troubles that might come out of monsters reintegrating with humans after centuries apart. You were nervous, but knew you wouldn’t be alone. Your family would help you every step of the way, and Sans seemed actively dedicated to making it easier.

 

Your worries somewhat subdued, you fell once more into sleep. This time,  however, you would rest easy, thanks in no small part to Sans’s coat. You buried yourself into the fluffy fabric, it being able to easily incase your entire body when zipped shut. You hazily noticed it smelled like ketchup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, were you expecting Megalovania or something? No, no, it's way too early for that.
> 
> Give it a few chapters.


	4. Settling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humans and monsters, two species separated for ages. What happens when worlds collide?

As it turned out, you might have underestimated how people would react. When your group found its way to a smaller village, there was, of course, some initial shock. That soon withered away when a handful of human children came up to talk to Papyrus. The parents were startled at first, but calmed upon seeing them playing so well together. You don’t think you’ll ever rid yourself of the sight of Papyrus being climbed over like a living jungle gym.

 

Appeasing the kids led to open relations with the adults. Soon enough, a deal was made. They would order supplies to help build your own town and slowly spread the story of your arrival in exchange for gold. Honestly, it shouldn’t have been that surprising. Using a precious metal as your currency had its advantages. Even the pocket change you carried around from your time in the Underground would get you quite a bit.

 

That reminded you of a certain promise, leading you to take Asgore out for an impromptu shopping spree. Why not take advantage of the wait for construction materials? A wardrobe change with a nigh infinite budget could go a long way for putting a few mountains between the two of you and that hatchet you left at the river.

 

First of all, finding a store with the correct sizes. That would be quite difficult. In human terms, Asgore was at least a seven XL. Even that was being generous. It wasn’t, of course, because he was plump. On the contrary, he had too much muscle mass. That gold armor was a custom fit made to accommodate his natural warrior physique.

 

Wait, custom fit! That was an idea you could use. You ran from the clothes rack you were perusing to tell him, only to find him having difficulties. He was attempting to stretch a red, cotton-tipped, Santa style hat over his horns.

 

“Golly, even the headwear is much too small.” At that, the festive hat tore in two, leaving behind a blushing king. “I can pay for that!” You let him hold true to that promise, gathering the remains of the holiday icon, before telling him an in-store tailor might be an easier solution.

 

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” he asked, relieved to no longer have to pay for unusable strips of cloth. “Was this some form of elaborate prank?” You were prepared to say no, that such mean spirited mocking was well past your scope, but were cut short by his laughing.

 

“What a wonderful jest! Though, I would recommend against doing it too often. No need to bother these shopkeepers any more than we already have.” Okay. You guessed that worked, too.

 

The next issue was finding a tailor who could work around a heavy layer of fur. Most humans had smooth skin, making fitting clothes on a fluffy surface a problem they wouldn’t encounter often. You recall one particular attempt stitched almost half of his body hair into the shirt, making it closer to fuzzy coat than anything.

 

Fortunately, you were able to find someone who could work with the differences. He was a somewhat older gentleman who was able to make a shirt that fit, not get it tangled up in Asgore’s natural covering, and make a gaudy shade of pink actually work. You weren’t sure which was more impressive.

 

“Thank you for your help, child,” Asgore said, a grateful smile crossing his muzzle. “You can go ahead without me. I do believe I will stay here and flesh out my non combat attire.”

 

“You mean armor like that’s all you got?” the tailor questioned. You thought his name was something like Mr. Elusive or the like. “No wonder your muscles are so knotted. The stuff looks heavy. Must have been pretty dangerous down there.”

 

“Oh no, it was usually very peaceful. It’s just a king in armor is more inspirational than one in short sleeves. But enough about that, what say we try that lovely rainbow silk next?” And with that, you were out. Even miracle workers can only do so much with that kind of overly showy set piece, but that wouldn’t stop them from trying. Heavens forbid Mettaton find this place…

 

-

 

Speaking of your favorite haunted rectangle (a tagline that sounded far less impressive than you thought it would), he already found himself an audience. The crowd loved his off-the-wall dancing, even if he had to half revert to his old body to do it. He was a set of legs and a head hooked on a metal box, a state that took far less power. He would have loved to go all out in EX form, but this would have to do until he got a full recharge.

 

Still, that didn’t stop him from absorbing the attention of the entire market district. He seemed to be on a different street every hour, stores paying generously for his help drumming up business. He had enough by the end of the day to go on a debut tour, but was nice enough to stick around and help fund the new town.

 

After leaving Asgore to his ‘work,’ you found Alphys sitting near (but not in) his audience. She looked forlorn. You recalled a log in the True Lab explaining how distant Mettaton got after he received his first body, and it didn’t take a scientist to put two and two together. (Lab? Scientist? Get it!? Man, Sans really was wrecking your sense of humor…)

 

This time, however, she wasn’t alone. Maybe she needed a reminder. You went to her and patted her shoulder. She was one of the few monsters short enough that you could do that without stretching awkwardly. Realizing it was you and not some random human, she was able to restrain a panic attack, though not without making you feel guilty for almost causing it.

 

“Don’t worry about me,” she said, though her wavering voice made you do so anyway. “I know things are different this time, but it just reminds me too much of the first time around, you know?” Yeah, you knew, a fact you made clear with a nod. You decided to leave out the part of how you knew it from visions of a murderous, cruel alternate you bent on…

 

You stopped that train of thought in its tracks.

 

“Deja vu,” you said, putting a word to her emotions.

 

“Y-yeah, that’s it,” she agreed. You gave her a concerned look. “I’ll be fine. Just need some time, that’s all.” Her confidence training had been going well it seemed. Step one, accepting and living with your faults.

 

Step two, confronting your problems.

 

“Talk to him about it,” you suggested.

 

“What!?” The color started fading from her face. “I couldn’t, I mean, he’s enjoying himself out there. I don’t want to be the one who cuts that off.” For a seven foot tall, bombastic fish lady, Undyne was oddly stealthy. She snuck up on both of you and brought Alphys into a bear-icuda hug (stop that, brain!)

 

“Hey, don’t go devaluing yourself again,” she said in a surprisingly soft voice. You thought the only tones she had were ‘over the top’ and ‘stoic facade.’ “Your happiness has some weight, too. Go ahead and chat with the guy when you get a chance, and I’ll be there to throw him for a loop if he up and ditches you again. Promise!” You were certain she meant it literally.

 

Alphys started getting teary eyed, a touched smile growing on her face. She buried herself into Undyne’s embrace, crying softly. It sounded like the happy kind, though, prompting the two of you to smile, too. Alphys was easily hefted off the ground, finding herself right under her girlfriend’s chin. The new position was even better for the hug.

 

“You get going, punk,” Undyne ordered. She winked at you in thanks (a feat made even more impressive by only having one eye in the first place.) “I’ve got her from here.” You winked back (which she somehow got despite your eyes seeming closed to everyone else) and started down the street, looking to see how everyone else was getting along.

 

-

 

As it turned out, pretty well. When you found him, Papyrus was reading a book titled The Road and You: A Beginner’s Safety Guide. It seemed he was intent on living out his dream of speeding down the highway in a real car (though you weren’t sure how to break it to him about the whole skin and hair thing. Or if he even cared about that part anymore.)

 

The lady at the desk, though uncertain how the law would work on that end, was fine with him taking the courses. He was humanoid enough to use a car, so why not let him? Besides, her kid liked him enough if the little girl sleeping in the chair next to him was a sign. It was too cute to not take a picture of.

 

Sans was already mapping out all the best lazing about spots. You found him sitting up in the branches of a tree. He patted an adjacent branch, saying it was comfy enough. You tried climbing the tree, but its bark was far too smooth. You couldn’t get a grip. How did he get up there anyway? He looked from side to side, scanning for anyone in the immediate area. Satisfied with the lack of people, he turned back to you.

 

“could you close your eyes for a second? think i have an idea.” Though somewhat nervous, you trusted him. Your eyes closed the rest of the way, and you felt a tingle run up your spine. It was odd, but not unpleasant. “‘kay, open ‘em.”

 

Doing so, you found yourself staring at the same surroundings from about fifteen feet up. Beneath you was a branch, your back positioned against the central mass of the tree. How you didn’t feel your environment shift is well beyond you, but you couldn’t help but think it was the same method by which he warped away in the timeline where you killed…

 

No. You weren’t going to bring that up right now, even if only in thought. This was a happy day, where monsters and humans were bonding again for the first time in centuries. You wouldn’t want to be the miserable one on the cusp of such a great event. Your thoughts settled once more, you leaned further into the sleek bark, deciding you agreed with Sans’s judgment and taking a quick nap.

 

As you stirred awake, you felt the same tingle, this time placing you back on the ground. You looked up at Sans, giving him a thankful thumbs up, which he declined with a wave of the hand as though saying “no problem.”

 

You wandered off, choosing to look for Toriel next. You hadn’t seen her all day. Sans called out something about the City Hall, giving you some sense of direction. The Hall itself was a slightly larger version of the other, more rustic buildings with tastefully painted wooden walls.

 

You arrived just in time, apparently, seeing her walk out of the building. You boosted your pace a little, intent on asking what she was doing. She beat you to it though, lighting up upon seeing you.

 

“Hello, my child. How has your day been?” You gave her a solid two thumbs up before looking questioningly between her and City Hall. She, thankfully, was quite good at deciphering your nonverbal speaking methods. “Do you remember how I said I had always wanted to be a teacher?” You nodded, liking the way this conversation was going.

 

“Well, I just reviewed the laws around it and have officially signed up for the proper classes. I am going for it!” You gave her the happiest smile you could, your delight obviously enhancing her own delight.

 

“Congratulations!”

 

“Oh, don’t say that quite yet. I still have a ways to go before I can start, but the thought is appreciated.” You were pulled into a hug. You could get used to this kind of daily affection. It wasn’t something you found too much before falling into the Underground. You savored every moment of it, but understood that it had to end eventually.

 

“Would you look at that,” she said, noticing the sunset. “Time certainly does fly when you are having fun. Come, Frisk, I believe that is our cue to head back to camp.” She took you by the hand, another gesture you were soon getting used to, and led you out of town.

 

A few handfuls of monsters had the same idea. Papyrus was still buried in his research. Sans walked next to him, helping his brother’s reading by clearing a path ahead. No need for crash courses yet. (That one was good. So telling him it later.)

 

Asgore was just exiting Mr. Elusive’s shop, clad in a loose, pink shirt and an off green pair of shorts. It suited him well. Asgore was giving his farewell to the older gentleman, wishing him luck. You thought you heard him respond, “Don’t need luck when you have enough heart.” Now that was a motto you could live by.

 

A glint of sun in your eyes drew your attention to Mettaton, who was walking with Alphys and Undyne. They were all talking joyously, telling you the basics of their confrontation right off the bat. You would have to ask for details later. Now, however, you were just happy the two friends were back together. And, judging by the lack of visible wounds, Undyne didn’t have to get involved. Even better!

 

Behind the metaphorical flood of monsters, you noticed one man staring grumpily at the crowd. He was a thin man with an equally scraggily mustache. You thought the proper term was peach fuzz, though its black coloring made it more visible against his pale skin. When he saw you, his glare intensified. It seemed not everyone was happy with the monsters being around, and especially not the human who showed them the way. You didn’t think much of it. Everyone else seemed to like your friends enough, so it would only be a matter of time before he did, too, right?

 

Your thoughts were stopped by a loud thud. Papyrus seemed to have collided with Lesser Dog, both ending up in a pile on the ground. The former was cautiously petting the latter, apologizing for the incident. Lesser Dog didn’t seem to care about that, too focused on the petting. His neck extended slightly, nuzzling further into the gesture. That brought back a weird, yet nice, memory.

 

“wow, bro. didn’t think you needed crash courses yet.” Ah man! And you thought it was so clever, too. Oh well, there’s always another joke just waiting to happen. You looked back ahead, making sure you didn’t end up in a similar situation. This was the start of a new day for the world. One you would gladly help come to fruition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...apparently WAFF happens. Who knew?
> 
> By the by, has anyone seen my pal Chekov? He keeps leaving his firearms all over the place.


	5. Frisk and Goliath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the trappings of the public educational system. Snobbish jerks, mediocre food stuffs, hulking brutes out for blood...
> 
> ...wait, what!?

_The world was dark. The only light was a soft shade of blue. Water rushed_ _somewhere in the distance, the sound of a thousand cascading waterfalls. That_ _explained where you were well enough. Asgore really was poor with names._

 

_Footsteps echoed behind you. You turned to find the armless monster kid, Lansot_ _as you now knew. He was puffing, out of breath from his run, but still managed to look_ _you seriously in the eye._

 

_“Hey, I wanted to ask you something,” he said. “Undyne said I shouldn’t talk to_ _you and that you’ve hurt a lot of monsters, but that can’t be true, right? You would tell_ _me if you were a killer human.” You felt a grin form on your face, though it wasn’t your_ _doing. “Uh, what’s with the creepy face?” He started backing away slowly._

 

_You answered by pulling out your knife. Lansot looked shocked, trying to run, but_ _fell backwards. He struggled to get up, made more difficult by his lack of upper body_ _limbs._ ‘Free EXP,’ _the scary voice said. Fear radiated from his eyes, color draining from_ _his features. You took your swing, but couldn’t see it on account of a bright flash. You_ _felt your knife cut something._

 

_When it dimmed, you found the interloper. It was Undyne, a deep wound running_ _down her frame. Her breathing was heavy._ ‘Stupid fish lady.’

 

_“Get out of here, kid,” she said, trying her best to keep it cool._

 

_“But, Undyne…”_

 

_“I said go!” she yelled, exhaustion becoming more apparent by the second. “I’ll_ _be fine, trust me!” Lansot, taking the message, ran for all he was worth. The kid was_ _quick when he wanted to be. “You…” She directed her attention at you._

 

_“I’ve seen what you’ve been up to. Heh, and they call **us** monsters.” Her face _ _scrunched up, fighting the pain. “It’s not just monsters either, is it? You get out, you’ll do_ _the same to every human, too. Am I right?” You felt yourself nod, chuckling. “Well, I_ _won’t make it easy for ya!” Her body started glowing, armor morphing around her. A_ _heart grew on her chest plate and gauntlets._

 

_“So long as I stand here, you won’t pass. The longer you’re stuck here, the more_ _monsters get out. I know I’m about to die, but I don’t care.” Her eyepatch fell off, form_ _too wispy to support accessories beyond the armor. “Game time, punk!” From her left_ _eye came a bright light. The first of many lasers left the socket, rushing straight for your_ _Soul…_

 

-

 

You awoke with a heavy inhale. Checking your skin, you found no trace of the usual fluids on your face from the first handful of visions. It seemed you were getting used to them, though the heavy, blue jacket you wore didn’t hurt. You inhaled deeply, taking in the comforting smell of bones and ketchup. Now you just had to reassure yourself that you weren’t in that timeline.

 

No, you were in your room, tucked in comfortably. Mom was really good at that. The residual taste of cinnamon solidified that point further. It took about a month of constant effort, but your shared home was finished. In a week’s time, the building had grown on you. You had no trouble calling this home.

 

You looked out your window, seeing the progress on the rest of the town. Houses dotted the landscape, finished right around the same time as yours. Another construction site, the one for what was soon to be the local school, sat near the center of town. In the background, you saw Ebott mountain, the sterling defender of the town.

 

Ebott village. Yeah, it wasn’t all that clever, but it beat New New Home by a few miles. Didn’t stop a few of the older monsters from calling it that, though.

 

Power lines ran up the mountain, strung into the entrance to the Underground. The Core was a valuable asset, allowing Ebott to produce its own energy. It was close enough to the surface that the mechanics didn’t mind heading back every day or two in order to keep an eye on it.

 

You could gawk at your home more later. For now, though, you had a promise to keep. You and Sans had been keeping an eye on each other as of late. If it ever looked like the other needed a hand with the memories, neither would give up until they spilled. It was an unspoken deal, a way to keep bad stuff from piling up, and it worked well.

 

Another part of the promise was keeping him updated on who else he should keep an eye on. The dreams affected everyone involved in them. Sans was, just as he said, really good at making people think they were just that, dreams, instead of memories from another timeline. You pulled out your phone and sent a text.

 

‘New dream. Lansot and Undyne.’

 

His response was swift as ever. When asked how he did it so quickly, he just said he can feel a vision when it happens. Handy.

 

‘on it. you good?’

 

‘Think I’m getting used to it. Tell you if I change my mind.’

 

‘kay.’

 

Short, sweet, and to the point. Probably a good thing at the moment, seeing as you had to get ready for school. Until the new building was completed, you and the younger monsters had to attend at the nearest open establishment, that being the one in New Haven (the town kind enough to supply Ebott a month ago.)

 

School, a terror to all child kind. An establishment forged in the deepest pits to drain the youth of its vitality. School…

 

You didn’t think it was so bad. Sure, it was annoying to have your time forcibly sectioned off by someone half a country away, but that was your only quibble. You loved learning new things, something any browsers in Snowdin’s Librarby that day could vouch for. As for bullies, your reclusive, quiet personality always made you a very small target on their radar. Almost nonexistent, really. A few of the monster kids reported some unfriendly behavior over the last week or two, but that was about it.

 

A healthy breakfast and thorough hair combing (it got knotted very easily) later, you were waiting out in the rapidly freezing air. Snow Drake said he smelt a flurry on the winds within the next week. And that he thought it would be cool. You couldn’t help but give him a giggle for that. The busses wouldn’t be there for another ten minutes or so, giving him plenty of time to try his new jokes. He was lucky your sense of humor had been skewed so heavily by Sans.

 

Speaking of whom, you saw him drifting your way, Lansot at his side. If he had seen the vision, a certainty as far as the record said, he didn’t show it. He was animatedly talking to Sans about something, and didn’t hesitate to run up to you when he saw you. That skeleton was nothing if not efficient. He always said the quicker you finished something, the sooner you could sit down and nap guilt free, though he only ever really followed through with it when it was something important. You were certain that sock was still sitting on the floor in his and Pap’s old house.

 

“Hey, Frisk!” Lansot said, energy enriching his voice. “You wouldn’t believe the dream I had. I know I don’t. I mean, you, violent? No way! Right?” You nodded your head, purposefully raising an eyebrow. You needed to keep up the idea that you had no idea what happened. He would get suspicious otherwise. His explanation was halted by the arrival of your bus.

 

“I’ll tell you on the way. Help me up?” He always had the worst luck with stairs, so you usually followed close behind him, ready to catch him just in case. Even if it didn’t visibly bother him, nothing good could come from falling on his face. You both took your seats near the back of the bus, you waving for both of you at Sans as you sped away.

 

He would be at the building, too, of course. A few adults volunteered to keep an eye out for the monster kids in the event of a worst case scenario. He was just so silent about it, to the point where even most other monsters didn’t know he was there. Teleportation and stealth went hand in hand it seemed. The rest of your morning commute was filled with you and Lansot laughing at the ridiculous dream he had. Maybe you should look for Sans later after all…

 

-

 

The day started out normal enough. First and second hours flew by, and third hour, gym, began as usual. Dodgeball was a favorite of yours, mostly because you only had to stay in the game to be an advantage to your team. No one ever hit you, to the point where you heard a few rumors about you actually being a monster instead of a human. That might be fun, magic and all.

 

Still, though, something was wrong. You seemed to be getting targeted above all others. This would be understandable if not for the malevolence you felt from the glares you got before every throw. Especially from that kid currently weaving around the opposite field.

 

His name was Brutus, a titan by most senses of the word. He was twelve, same age as you, but stood at almost double your height and easily double your width. The kid had strength on his side, every pitch echoing off of whatever he hit. It was almost scary how determined he was. Messy, silvery hair spiked off his head.

 

At the end of class, you were moving through the halls when he blocked your path. Curious why, you courteously stopped.

 

“You Frisk? You bring monster to surface?” His voice was strangled, yet understandable. You nodded, making him seem even angrier. “What, too good to talk to Brutus?” You almost shook your head, but realized that it wouldn’t help your point.

 

“No,” you said, barely audible in the noisy hall. It didn’t help that more than a few of your classmates were crowding around, chattering lightly at the confrontation.

 

Something in Brutus’s eyes shifted, as though something in your tone shook his confidence. He glanced somewhere to the side, where you noticed some other kids nodding at him, before staring back at you.

 

“Monsters hurt humans. You bring them here. Brutus hurt you!” What? Monsters hurting humans? There wasn’t a chance of that at all. Things had been peaceful as far as you’d heard, and, being the only human in the group, you heard everything. You knew the divides between the two societies and helped smooth out cracks wherever possible. No way this was the whole story. Brutus shoved his massive finger into your chest.

 

“Frisk come to gym lunch hour. Fight Brutus. You come or Brutus drag.” His threat delivered, he skulked away, dragging the student body with him. While you were curious about his motives, you were also afraid you would be late. You would think on it when you got to the classroom.

 

-

 

It was near the end of fourth hour, five minutes remaining with no further activities planned. You were thinking about Brutus when Lansot came running, almost stumbling along the way.

 

“Frisk, Frisk! I know what’s happen- whoa!” He finally tripped upon reaching your table, quickly pulling himself off the floor. He seemed completely unperturbed by the accident. “Here, look at this!” Using his tail, he pulled a cell phone in front of you, a video on screen. You hit the play button, immediately interested by the kid holding his hand. He was one of the kids encouraging Brutus.

 

_“Oh man, that hurts!” he yelled, blowing on his hand._

_“What did you expect? The volcano kid packs real hot lunches. Not all that easy to snag.”_

_“When people said hot, I thought they meant spicy. Not literal burning coals!”_

_“Man, you are gonna be in trouble when this gets out.”_

_“Not if I can help it. I have a plan. Watch.” The camera followed the kid closely, his black knit hat easy to track in the halls. He rushed towards the hulking form of Brutus, clad in a heavy leather jacket and jeans._

_“Brutus, my man! We’ve got trouble.” Brutus looked at him, obviously confused._

_“You no friend of Brutus. Why you call Brutus… Wait, what wrong with hand?”_

_“That’s the deal, man.” The oil was thick in his tone. “One of those monster kids just jumped me, burned me real good.”_

_“Monster hurt human!?” Brutus was buying into the act._

_“Yeah, man. Look, I have a way to get back at them. They have this human pal, kid named Frisk. He led them here. Looks to me like they’re sizing us up, trying to take over. Hurt the kid, it would chase them off. Following me?”_

_“Brutus following.” His face was twisted in outrage. “Brutus take Frisk to gym. Show kid not mess with good people.” The video feed stopped, but not before catching the duo high five behind Brutus’s back._

 

It was worse than a misunderstanding. Brutus was being played for a fool! You refused to let this go on any longer. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of lunch hour. You started off towards the gym.

 

“Wait, Frisk! Where are you going?” Lansot asked, concerned.

 

“Don’t worry,” you said, popping your neck. “I have this.” You walked off, leaving Lansot scrambling. You would have to make it up to him later, but you couldn’t be late right now. You heard him scurry off behind you.

 

You arrived at the gym, the lights turned low. Brutus was standing in the middle of the floor, staring daggers at you. His jacket was firmly in place, a form of light (relatively speaking) armor.

 

“Frisk on time. Have guts, Brutus admit that.” He flexed, stretching for the fight. “Now Frisk bleed!” He rushed ahead, barreling toward you like a locomotive following its tracks. You had been in this type of problem before. While frightening by human standards, he was an average day in the Underground. This return to familiar territory, while not entirely positive, had a nostalgic air to it.

 

It filled you with determination.

 

-

 

My day was going alright, I thought. Good breeze, nice smelling lunch, and a real calm crowd of kids. At least, so I thought, stowed away in an air duct. It was the only place no one would look where I could look down at them. Well, almost no one. Armless reptile kids are an exception.

 

“Sans, Sans! We’ve got trouble!” Lansot rushed through the ducts at me. Thought I took care of the kid’s nightmares. Oh well, no sense in not biting.

 

“alright, what’s up?”

 

“Okay, long story short, some of the bullies tricked Brutus, you know the guy?” Kid built like a freight train? How could I not know him? “Well, they made him think Frisk and the rest of us want to take over. He’s gonna try beating them up in the gym, right now! What do we do!?” Somewhere, deep down, my magic started burning. No one hurts my little buddy if I’m around.

 

“close your eyes and hold on.” I took him by where his shoulder would be, checking to make sure his eyes were closed, and warped. It felt like all of my atoms floating away from each other before settling back in place. Kinda weird, but it worked. We landed in front of the gym, a thankfully vacant area.

 

I immediately went for the door, ready to fling someone. I never got the chance. Really, it shouldn’t have been that shocking. In the middle of the gym, sitting at a fold-up table, were Frisk and the big guy. They were sipping what smelled like floral tea.

 

“Wow, Frisk make good lavender. Thanks for drink.” If it weren’t for context, I’d have thought I just interrupted a fancy get together.

 

“‘sup, kids?” Brutus didn’t see me there, so it kind of spooked him. Frisk just smiled, used to my shin-nanigans.

 

“Tea?” Kid was sweet as could be. Not a scratch on him. If the big guy wasn’t sweating, I would’ve said there wasn’t a fight. No damage on his end, either. Classic Frisk form.

 

“What’s with this pansy party?” I really didn’t like the sound of that voice. Sounded like a snotty little brat to me. “Man, you were supposed to get rid of the monster freak, not get chummy with them!”

 

“You trick Brutus,” he said between sips of tea. He pushed his way up, turning his fury on his would-be accomplices. “You try make Brutus hurt good kid. Brutus hurt you instead.” Brat looked about ready to wet himself. Served him right. Frisk though, ever the nice guy, stepped up to bat.

 

“Don’t worry,” he said, cracking his neck. “I have this.”

 

-

 

You were finishing of the last of your tea as the bell rang. End of the hour already? You looked to pardon yourself from the rest of the table. Brutus was happy to take the table back, and you stowed away the teapot in your backpack. The kid in the black knit hat sighed.

 

“Man, that’s good stuff. What’s your secret?” You smiled enigmatically at him.

 

“Same as everything. Lots of care.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering, yes, you may give Brutus a Russian accent if you want. I started out writing him as a thick headed, yet soft hearted bully type with an off speech pattern (you know, stereotype #935), but my brain went foreign for some reason.
> 
> I regret nothing. He's just too fun to write.


	6. Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The headaches are unbearable. Things are fading, coming into focus, in and out...
> 
> What is that strange machine?

School had gone normally enough until gym, when you were pulled aside. Brutus, ever the pal, heard about your technical role as ambassador for monster kind. He had thought you were simply the one who freed them until then.

 

Now, though, he knew and was determined to make amends for the fight he started up. You had heard many call him a lumbering idiot, a tissue-brained titan, and worse. That, however, simply wasn’t true. Gullible? Sure. Not exactly great with language? Sure. But he made up for that in spades with his situational awareness. Unless he was focused one hundred percent elsewhere, very little slid past him without notice. That included news pertaining to him.

 

Every big media outlet was focused on the new creatures roaming the world’s surface and the little guy who brought them. The outlook on monsters ranged from open arms, to quiet acceptance, and, unfortunately, to some who descended into hostility. Many honestly believed you to be the ringleader in an effort to conquer the planet with the magical misfits you led. As such, there had been countless reports of planned assaults on Ebott being thwarted by authorities.

 

Brutus had a very active mindset when it came to problems. He wanted to be ready if such an attack ever pulled through. That preparation included making you battle ready. You trusted him enough to tell him about what really happened between you and the vast majority of your family, the duels you had been thrust into, but he was yet unconvinced. He trusted your word, even promising under no uncertain terms that he would never tell another living soul, but your combat abilities struck him as limited.

 

Dodging was all well and good. He had to commend your ability to remain untouched, but you couldn’t keep it up forever, meaning you had to know how to eliminate a threat. He began with a basic test of physical strength, breaking boards.

 

“Frisk hit wood. Plank should shatter. Begin!” The wood was set on two parallel, brand new cement blocks. The center of the plank hung in midair, leaving a clear target. You stepped in front of the stand, raising your hand. Balling it into a fist, you slammed it down as hard as you could.

 

As you expected, the board was undamaged.

 

“Uh, Frisk, Brutus thinks there is problem here.” He looked closely at the wood, inspecting it for damage, or perhaps the lack thereof. “Frisk needs more strength behind swing. This time, think of worst enemy. Again!”

 

You took a few moments to collect yourself, spooked by his sudden demand. At least he did it to help you this time. You stared at the plank, running through your compendium of foes. It was fairly small. The worst you could dredge up was Flowey, and even that was stymied by an uncontrollable connection to Asriel. You didn’t notice yourself lightly petting the board.

 

“That how Frisk treats worst enemy?” His tone was filled with disbelief. “Frisk has big heart, but big heart is big target. If anything makes Frisk angry, fills Frisk with rage, please find. Once more. Again!”

 

Now you were starting to sweat. Brutus was getting disappointed, at least as far as you could tell. He was putting in the extra effort to help, but you couldn’t do the same. The failure made your heart waver. Frustration filled your Soul.

 

The world around you began fading, and a migraine wracked your mind. Your attention began to drift.

 

-

 

Papyrus clutched your shoulders, coughing up dust. His body collapsed under its own weight.

 

“I KNOW YOU CAN BE GOOD. I PROMISE…”

 

-

 

Undyne, her body melting away, stared you down. The pain she felt did nothing to halt her efforts. Her spear shook with determination.

 

“So long as I’m around, you’re not hurting anyone else!”

 

-

 

Pain filled your body. Your lungs struggled to keep a steady flow of oxygen. The air was hot, nearly burning.

 

“Mommy, Daddy, why?”

 

-

 

Through your hazy link to reality, you heard a violent yell. Red tinged the edges of your blurry sight. Under your fist, you felt something hard split in two. You swore you felt splinters enter your hand, but you couldn’t be certain. You fell to the floor soon after, head throbbing.

 

“Frisk! Is Frisk okay?” You slowly turned to Brutus. Concern filled his eyes. “Frisk stay here. Brutus get nurse. Go nowhere!” He ran off, looking for help. What a nice guy. You leaned backwards against a cracked block of cement. You tried staying awake, but couldn’t manage. You blacked out to the sound of fervent footsteps.

 

-

 

You woke up staring at an eggshell white ceiling. The bright colors hurt your eyes. The memories still rung in the back of your head.

 

“finally. had us worried there, frisk.” There was a voice you were glad to hear. You turned as far as you could, neck stiff, to see Sans. A few drops of sweat ran down his skull. “been out for a few hours. what happened?” You needed to check something first.

 

“Alone?” you asked, throat dry. He nodded his head, understanding where this was going. “Old visions. Pap and Undyne. Might want to check.”

 

“got it. you alright?” As much as it bothered you to take his time, you really did need some help this time. In the haze that was your senses before passing out, you recalled breaking a board. It felt like the anger of the other you was starting to drift over the connection, and that frightened you. You shook your head quickly, his focus becoming razor sharp.

 

“okay. try getting to my and pap’s place later. i’ll get there fast as i can.” You gave him a thankful smile, and just in time. The nurse walked in then, Brutus in tow.

 

“Oh, you’re awake!” she realized. Brutus lit up. “Thank goodness. You really gave us all a fright there. You never struck me as the type to have fainting spells after heavy exertion.” She hurried over to the sink, getting a glass of water for you. “Is there anything I can help with now? Can you stand?”

 

“I think so.” You winced as an ache pulsed through your skull. “Head hurts.”

 

“Okay. Brutus, help him up. I’ll get some aspirin.” He swiftly followed through, offering a sturdy, dependable support.

 

“Frisk scared Brutus there. Brutus worried all day. What happened?” You slowly shook your head.

 

“Don’t know. Think I pushed myself too hard.”

 

“This Brutus fault,” he concluded. You didn’t like seeing him beat himself up for your sake. You tried comforting him with a quick pat on the back. His expression lifted slightly, but guilt was still there. “What say Frisk lay off attack training? Switch focus to defense instead. For now, Brutus take care of attackers. Trust Brutus, yeah?”

 

You liked that idea.

 

-

 

As it turned out, the next bell was the last of the day. You had been out for five hours. One bus ride and a very worried mother to calm down later, you were on your way to Sans’s place. This was done with the advanced agreement to take it easy, as to not risk another trip to medical services. You felt fine on that end now, but the rage still haunted you. It was something completely foreign. Even amidst all the combat and taunts by Flowey, you never felt anger. If this was a result of timelines twisting around, Sans would be able to tell.

 

The guy’s past was still a mystery wrapped in an enigma. He hadn’t told you a thing about his knowledge of time, insisting that he was just trying to find the right way to say it. Still, though, his expertise was unrivaled in your experience. He could tell something was up a mile away, even if you never told him so. He was an invaluable aid to your efforts in piecing together your now erased history.

 

You arrived at your destination only to find it locked up. There was a note on the door.

 

“FRISK,

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, SANS ISN’T BACK YET. I WOULD HAVE

LEFT IT OPEN FOR YOU, BUT A CERTAIN POOCH IS POACHING MY BONES

AGAIN. YOU CAN’T BE TO CAREFUL WITH YOUR PRIMARY ARMORY. DON’T

WORRY, THOUGH, I LEFT SOME SPAGHETTI FOR YOU! ENJOY IT AS YOU WAIT!

LOVE (PLATONICALLY)

PAPYRUS”

 

Sure enough, a plate of spaghetti sat on a table near the door. It was cold. That was a shame. You heard he had made something actually edible recently. Not good, but edible. And so began the waiting game. Chances were Sans was taking his time getting back. A long day of patrolling always left him tired, and he would want to be fully awake when you spilled your heart out to him. Such a considerate friend.

 

You felt a tingle on the back of your neck. At first, you just thought it was an itch.

It didn’t go away when you scratched it, though. Actually, you swore it was getting

worse, traveling higher and higher up your spine. Soon enough, it was in the back of

your brain. You felt it calling you somewhere nearby.

 

You looked around, and the sensation grew when you saw the shed next to the house. It was where Papyrus put the dog he mentioned whenever he actually caught it. It never stayed there for long. When you went for the main entrance, however, the tingle slowed. Normally, you would think this was a good thing. Now, though, you found it to be a sign that you were going the wrong way.

 

Instead, you slipped in the alley between the buildings. The tingle became a gentle buzz. There you found something odd. On the back of the shed, there was a metal door. You had never seen it before. Just looking at it made your eyes cross, as though they didn’t want to see it. That dispelled as you touched the handle, slowly pulling it open. There were stairs leading beneath the shed. They were well lit, yet had an uneasy air about them.

 

Following your gut, you descended. Surely it couldn’t be that bad if the door wasn’t locked, right? The stairway seemed to go on forever. Just how far underground did they lead? Eventually, they stopped, ending at a pristine white floor. You glanced around. To your right was a rather comfortable looking couch and coffee table. A single, empty mug sat there and smelled like coffee.

 

To your left was a counter. Cupboards lined the wall behind it. The few open doors held advanced looking machinery and a few beakers. On the countertop, countless notes were scattered. You tried reading them, but couldn’t recognize the writing. It looked like mad scrawling, mostly in the shape of hands doing various gestures. It had an obvious structure, though, suggesting it was a proper language.

 

Further down the room, a much larger machine sat. A large blanket sat at its base, looking as though it had been yanked from over the device. The bulk of it was hard, metal plates. They shined various shades of either silver or black. You recognized it as the same time proof material as Sans’s lunch box. Gears of the same coloration ticked away along its surface. It sounded like an old clock made before someone found a way to muffle the inner workings.

 

In front of it, a podium rose from the ground. A glass-like orb sat on top. A small trickle of electricity ran around inside of it. Looking at it sent the buzzing in your head into overdrive. It ran through the entirety of your skull. It didn’t hurt, but you were still confused. That, however, was overshadowed by your curiosity. The orb was beckoning you, it seemed, hoping that you would touch it. You couldn’t look away. You couldn’t resist.

 

You didn’t want to resist.

 

You reached out to the orb, hand open. You were just going to tap it, to make sure it was alright to touch. You heard footsteps rushing down the stairs. The rattle of bones and heavy breathing sounded like Sans. You heard him land at the bottom step, too absorbed in the machine to look.

 

“DON’T TOUCH THAT!” Too late. Your hand grasped it, but stuck. It was like a magnetic cling that was too strong to interrupt. You realized too late that you had made a mistake. A searing pain echoed through your body. It felt like every atom was alight, your very Soul burning in the pyre. Your Determination flared, expanding to touch every corner of the room, then going even further.

 

You felt Papyrus speeding down the highway, wind whipping through his nonexistent hair. You felt Mom chopping up carrots, preparing stew for dinner. Asgore was watering his garden. Alphys and Undyne were cuddling, watching a show. Metatton was a few towns over, dancing his heart out.

 

Sans was right behind you, trying to pull you off of the machine.

 

“NO, TURN OFF YOU DAMN MACHINE! I WON’T LET YOU TAKE THEM, TOO!”

 

You wanted to chastise him for swearing, but couldn’t. Your voice was busy screaming itself raw. You hadn’t hurt this much since Omega Flowey repeatedly reloaded your death. It was agonizing, and yet enlightening.

 

Your Determination went even further. You felt it leave the binds of your timeline, and saw the expanse of what you assumed to be forever. Thousands, no, millions of timelines all flowed here. One noticed you, staring at you. Was it that world’s version of you feeling your presence?

 

It went further still. Infinite streams more passed by in the blink of an eye. Eventually, they stopped, and only darkness remained. In the distance, you saw a lone figure. It looked back, waving cordially. You thought you heard it speak, but weren’t sure.

 

Back in your own time, you felt yourself finally let go. Your body convulsed in Sans’s arms, then collapsed. You felt it losing consciousness, and you followed soon after.

 

-

 

You awoke to the same void as before. Your body felt light, and yet heavy, as though the laws that governed it had shifted. You tried looking around, but to little avail. The only thing you saw was a white speck far away. Suddenly, you felt someone looking at you. The speck fizzed out of existence, only to materialize right in front of you.

 

The white was its head, which looked like a disfigured theater mask, one eye turned up and the other down. Its mouth was bent in a small smile. Its body was a long, black robe, with two hands poking from the sleeves. They each had a large hole in the middle. Static crackled in your head, and a voice accompanied it.

 

“Htaw grbins ouy ot ym moniad?”


	7. He Who Speaks in Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A phantom looking upon all that is and ever was. What does he want?

Adrenaline coursed through your veins, yet you couldn’t move. The figure terrified and intrigued you at the same time. It spoke again, its lips unmoving.

 

“Anc ouy erah em?” The static hurt your head. It throbbed lightly, making you rub it to soothe the pain. “Ha, I ese.” Suddenly, the buzz started fading, and with it your headache. “Taht suhold do it.” You were surprised, able to make out its previously incoherent babble. The voice was deep, suggesting it to be a male, and there was a subtle calming effect in his words. The heavy thuds in your chest began to stabilize.

 

“Apologies for startling you. I’ve never received visitors before, you see. The effects of an eternity beyond time are quite severe.” Beyond time? That must be what this abyss was. “Let me try again. What brings you to my domain?” You shrugged.

 

“Don’t know. Messed with a machine in a friend’s lab. It put me here, wherever here is.” Your answer amused him to some degree.

 

“Yes, I figured as much. I saw it unfold, after all. Just wanted an excuse to use that line. Eerie, no?” Your face scrunched in confusion. How could he see anything in this place, let alone a location so far away (in more ways than one)?

 

“How about, instead of telling you, I showed you? Much more efficient.” With that, he waved his hand, a small trickle of electricity leaving his hollow palm. A large square of the space in front of him turned white, the contrast momentarily blinding you. When your vision returned, you saw that the light was some form of screen displaying a familiar place.

 

Sans was hauling your body through the front door of Alphys’s lab. He didn’t bother with knocking, the lights in his eyes jittering erratically. Wait, your body? You looked down, certain that your body was right here. At least until you found that you could partially see through yourself. It was hard to tell at first since the only thing behind you was a black void.

 

“ALPHYS! WE HAVE A PROBLEM HERE!” Sans’s panicked yelling drew your eyes back to the screen. He only ever used that voice in the worst case scenarios. Considering your current out of body experience, you were sure it counted. Alphys came running down the stairs, gasping at the sight of your pale, unconscious form.

 

“Oh my God, what happened?” She hurried to help Sans hold you up.

 

“don’t ask me how, but the kid got their hands on the machine. and they stuck there.”

 

“The DT Enabler was active? How!? I thought you disabled that thing!”

 

“so did i.”

 

“Does… does this mean they’ve been… erased?” You really didn’t like the sound of that.

 

“you still remember them without a headache, right? then they’re fine on that end. not so much on the actual health end. now help me get them to a bed. kid needs rest, and so do i.”

 

Your attention fell from the screen. DT Enabler? Erased? You knew DT stood for Determination due to the similarly named DT Extractor, but what did the other part mean? You glanced at your host, who in turn looked at you with mild concern.

 

“It’s a lot to take in, I know. I would offer you tea if I had any. That always helped calm my nerves. Or was it cappuccino?” He took a moment to scratch his head. It seemed spotty memory was another side effect.

 

“Know what’s happening?” you asked.

 

“Somewhat, yes. You tend to get at least partially knowledgeable on things that happen to you.” You were becoming more and more attached to your questioning expression as this conversation continued, though this time a twinge of sorrow accompanied it.

 

“Who are you?” He gave you the closest expression he could to forlorn with a frozen face.

 

“My name is W.D. Gaster, the first human of the Underground.” That flew directly in the face of all you’ve heard. The first human was Chara, all subsequent cases until you falling in the name of destroying the barrier. Just them, you, and six other children. Where could Gaster fit in on the timeline?

 

“I see those gears turning,” he said, a pinch of joy returning. “It’s always nice to see youth willing to think things out. All evidence would seem to indicate I am lying, correct?” You nodded, no previous encounters with his name coming to mind. “Let me ask you something. All events wiped away by time manipulation eventually return. Where do you suppose they go in the mean time?”

 

You thought about that for a moment. Your mind had traveled throughout time before landing here, and you saw nowhere for the memories to land. Nowhere except here, where events could be pulled from the ether. You pointed at the ground, indicating your answer.

 

“Very good! Now, if a living being were to be thrown out in the same manner, where would they go?” You, again, pointed at the floor. “Also correct. You’re quite good at observation. Not Sans good, but still fairly talented.” The compliment brought out a small blush.

 

“Now, for a small lesson. There will be a quiz at the end, so please pay attention. Usually, when something is erased, let’s say a memory, it retains a link to the vessel from which it was taken. An empty space it fits perfectly into remains, no matter how long it is separated. When time starts stabilizing, they return from whence they came, fitting snuggly into their old space.”

 

“The same could be said for a Soul. I know you are familiar with the way they work, so we can jump straight to the interesting bit. Your Soul was separated from your body by the DT Enabler. A side effect of your Determination being energized. As soon as it stabilizes, you will return to your body. You will feel drained from the process, but that will pass. I would wager that by the end of tomorrow, you will be up and about as you always have been.” That was a relief. You thought it would be far more dire judging by the looks on Alphys and Sans’ faces.

 

“But let’s turn this all on its head. What if, upon reaching this plain, the End of Time, as I’ve taken to calling it, there was no vessel to return to? What if the process destroyed one’s body, leaving them without that link back to reality?”

 

Your eyebrows furrowed. That link was the thing that reeled the lost back in, according to his explanation. Without it, you would imagine that the lost would stay here… Lightning struck. Shock plastered itself onto your face as you looked at him.

 

“That is correct, child. I am stuck here, without recourse, bound to watch on as time marches without me. A terrible fate, but one I have accepted.” He looked at the holes in his palms. “No doubt you’ve already taken notice of the wounds it left. Without time, they will never heal, either.” You grabbed his sleeve, tears gathering in your eyes. Here was yet another lost spirit, someone who you couldn’t save. Guilt wracked your system.

 

“Now, now, none of that.” Gaster patted your back and wiped away the few escaped tears. “You have no reason to cry. You will return home, I will stay here. Those are simply the facts.” You still felt horrible. You wanted to help him, you wanted to save him, but you couldn’t. “Tell you what, there is something you can do for me.” You lit up a little at that.

 

“I want you to give Sans and Alphys a small message for me. You see, they are the only two who recall I existed at all. They were present at the time of the incident. The only thing that kept them from being wiped away or having their memories altered by my Determination gone awry was the time proof metal infused into my laboratory’s walls. My banishment has left them both in such tattered states, and I have been forced to watch them tear themselves apart. They deserve to know what happened in full, and this little code we shared will prove that you speak the truth when the time comes.”

 

You gave him a questioning look, inquiries forming in your head. What was his story in the Underground? What was his connection with Sans and Alphys? What was the purpose of this DT Enabler? It must have been a big deal if Sans kept it around for so long.

 

“I know you’ve your questions,” Gaster cut in, reading your thoughts. “And you deserve answers, but not from me. Sans has been working so long to find a way to say it. Not just to you, but to everyone. It has taken him so many timelines and retries to get it just right. Far be it from me to take his moment in the spotlight.” Understanding his reasoning, you gave him a nod. “Now, that code.”

 

He leaned in close, whispering the words into your ear. You spent a few moments to memorize them before realizing what they were. When your mind caught up, you couldn’t help but give him a flat stare.

 

“What? Don’t you believe me?” There was a light chuckling in his tone.

 

“No, I believe you. That’s the problem.” So this is where he got his crazy password ideas from. His little fart master gag rang through your mind. The slow build up of the secret of his room turning out to just be a treadmill in the dark with a trash tornado on the side. That was a disappointing reveal, though the tornado was kind of cool. A screen appeared next to you, displaying the freak occurrence in question. What caught your attention, though, is that another you was staring at it from beside the treadmill. An uncomfortable idea formed in your mind.

 

“You said Sans has been working through timelines, as in multiple, right?” Gaster nodded, already aware of your discovery. “You saw them all then, didn’t you?”

 

“In truth, I could pull any of them up right now if I desired.” He knew what you had done. Not you you, but still a version of you. You expected him to chastise you. You expected eyes to bore into the back of your head. You expected punishment. What you got was a loose hug.

 

“There, there, child.” Instinct forced you to hug him back. “I know how it looks from your perspective. I would be a mess in your position, too, but I’m not. I’m in a state where I can tell you the truth. I know what happened, and I can tell you that you are completely innocent of all crimes shown.” You could now add shock to the list of expressions you were getting to know too well. “Here, I’ll show you.”

 

Once more, he summoned a screen. On it was a single beam of light. Sitting on the ground below was a patch of golden flowers. You recognized it as the patch you had landed on at the start of your journey. Speaking of which, you saw yourself there, mid fall. You landed in the patch with a heavy thud, causing you to cringe. You had no idea why you weren’t more injured by the fall.

 

Whispers filled the pit. Quiet at first, but they soon grew into a deafening cacophony. Suddenly, they all fell silent at a single word. _“Chara…”_

 

A mist rose from the flowers. It twisted in thin veils about itself, and, for a moment, you thought you saw a face. It funneled towards you, entering through your mouth and nose. You felt like throwing up, the idea of this spirit… thing invading your body inspiring a heavy bout of nausea. The picture became blurry, fizzing out.

 

“This is where the time loop began.” Gaster’s speaking startled you, almost forgetting he was there. “Tell me, did you experience any sign of another presence on your walk home?” You didn’t need to think hard about that one. A voice constantly bugged you, telling you to kill the monsters because they couldn’t be trusted. Ties between your timeline and the visions began uncovering, a link forming before your eyes.

 

“It was that mist, wasn’t it?” Your quick discovery pleased him, confirming your answer. Another string was supplied by the voices. “Chara, Asgore and Toriel’s human child? How did they get there, and what gave them such bloodlust?”

 

“Yes, the prince’s adoptive sibling.” You heard clear disgust in his voice. You didn’t think the polite man was capable of such emotion. “Toriel took them with her in an effort to supply a proper burial. She believed the flowers, their final wish before death, would bring peace, bless her heart. If that were only the case, your time cycles would have all been far more pleasant.”

 

“You might recall finding a few tapes starring them in the True Lab, but without a video feed. I saw them all play out, and I can say that child’s murderous intentions have been a factor far before their demise.” His anger seemed to warp the flow of memories, them streaming in quick secession directly into your mind.

 

-

 

“Careful where you go with that knife next time, okay?” Asgore advised. He was rubbing a thin scratch on his arm, a knife sitting on the nearby counter. He was comforting a small, long haired child in a single-striped sweater. Their face was hidden from Asgore, but you saw it clearly. The emotion on display wasn’t regret.

 

It was frustration.

 

-

 

A pie sat in the garbage, moments before being burned by Toriel. Asriel and Chara stood nearby, the former ashamed of his actions, but the latter (though hidden from sight) was even more frustrated.

 

“Sorry, Mom. We didn’t know it meant cups of butter when it said buttercups, honest.” Asriel was telling the truth, but Chara would be lying. Buttercups, as you now knew, rotted the digestive organs of whoever ate them.

 

That pie was intended for Asgore.

 

-

 

Chara sat in the garden, hungrily devouring buttercups. You knew they knew what they could do. You heard them muttering to themselves.

 

“Every plan I’ve had has crashed and burned. Why won’t these monsters just die?! I want my power! Well I’ll show them this time. Asriel’s mind is soft, and won’t think twice before listening to his dear best friend.” They stopped eating as they chuckled madly, falling to the ground in pain. “Mom! Dad!”

 

-

 

“I know not where this vile nature originates, even after researching the topic extensively. It’s as though they just materialized in the Underground one day, leaving terror in their wake, with the help of a host.” Guilt rolled through you. Your body enabled them to hurt so many monsters. Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Sans, everyone. Eventually, they all got a turn. You saw as much in your dreams.

 

And it was all your fault.

 

Arms encircled you, and you returned the favor. You cried openly into his robe, adding apologies for soaking it alongside those for all the pain you helped cause. Eventually, it slowed to a steady sob, and that’s when he spoke.

 

“No matter what you think, this was not your doing. It was Chara’s. They were the worst trash I’ve ever seen, and I have the keys to all that has ever happened in this place. They were a killer, sadistic, truly the scum of the earth.”

 

“You, though, you are different.” His voice was comforting, even outright proud. “You refused to hurt, even when they wished you death. You gave up going back to the surface once, just because it meant taking a single life. You saved them all from their prison and brought rest to the soul of the first victim, even if only a little.”

 

“You are Frisk, ambassador to monster kind and among the dearest kin to them all. Chara tried to steal your light, but, this time, you refused. Despite everything, you are still you. Remember that.” The tears ran free, this time in happiness.

 

“I need you to remember something.” You gave him your undivided attention. “Though their influence did not reach you this time, it has before. Elements of those timelines still echo in the deepest reaches of your Soul. Do not give in to your darker emotions. Through that route, their corruption may yet linger. Do you understand?”

 

You nodded, determined to follow his advice. If you weren’t just a lingering soul at the moment, a Save might have formed. You felt a tug somewhere deep within your form. A light emanated from your heart. Gaster, seeing this, pulled out another screen.

 

On it, you saw your physical form. It was laying on the guest bed in Alphys’s home. Mom sat on one side, lightly crying. She was worrying herself sick. And after you promised to be careful, too. Asgore was rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her, though it seemed he was barely keeping his own composure.

 

Under your sweater, visible only to you, was a similar light. It looked like it was time to go. You turned back to Gaster, giving him a wave goodbye.

 

“Take care, child. And thank you for the conversation. It was… nice.” You were happy to oblige, especially considering the weight he had helped take off your shoulders. “I will be watching you, so don’t disappoint. Oh, and don’t forget my message!” You gave him a thumbs up as you vanished.

 

You felt your Soul hurtling back through space. Timelines passed by in moments, soon returning to your own slice of existence. You felt yourself settle back into the appropriate stream, everything going black as your senses reset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What, did you want Villain Gaster? Naw, Tsukithewolf already took that angle, and I don't want to nick more ideas than I already have from them. I have SOME standards.


	8. Skeletons in the Closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans finally comes clean.

The first sense to reactivate was touch. You felt the soft covers warming you and the bed beneath, working in tandem to ensure your comfort.

 

The second was a tie between taste and smell. On your tongue was the soft memory of soup, obviously a monster recipe. It’s hard to choke on something that infuses into your body instantly, and no one would risk feeding you human food while unconscious.

 

Your hearing soon followed. As expected, the dominant sound was Mom’s grief. She was openly crying, though slightly muffled. You heard a soft voice trying to comfort her.

 

“Please, Tori, Frisk will be fine. They are a resilient child and you know it.” The deep tone suggested it to be Asgore. Mom’s sorrow dropped a little at the signal of a hiccup.

 

“Of course, but it reminds me so much of before. I can’t lose another child to sickness, I simply could not take it.” Your heart wavered. Now that you knew their true nature, you were split between telling them the truth behind Chara and allowing them their fantasy.

 

Settling on the latter, you noticed your vision returning. It was blurry, but that didn’t matter much. The ceiling only consisted of light blue anyway. Your hearing, however, was back at full power, making the relieved gasp from Mom come in crystal clear. Arms wrapped around you, but your weakened state didn’t let you do the same. You vowed to make up for it later.

 

“Oh Frisk, you’re awake! You had us so worried.” She decided to forgo any further talking in order to put all of her effort into the hug.

 

“It’s true, child,” Asgore confirmed. “Just about everyone in Ebott stopped by at least once after word got out. You have quite the supply of ‘Get Well’ cards to go through. 01 and 02 even brought you soup!” So that’s where that came from. “Everyone will want to know you’re awake. Pardon me.” His ex wife finally settled, he left your makeshift hospital room, voices greeting him as he got downstairs.

 

“Frisk, I thought I said to be careful. What happened?” You knew you had to omit some details, for her sake.

 

“Not sure,” you lied. “Got to Sans’s, but got dizzy. Must have passed out then.”

 

“Was it something in the spaghetti?” A slightly bitter chuckle escaped your lips. Papyrus wasn’t that bad, at least not anymore.

 

“Couldn’t eat it. Too cold.” She got a foreboding twinkle in her eye.

 

“And after he went through all the effort to make it. He might just have a _bone to_ _pick_ with you!” You both laughed at that.

 

“I don’t know, me might be _pasta_ it by now!” You were both shaking from the force of your mirth. What had Sans done to you?

 

“he’d really be **boiling** with that one, pal.” While Sans’s sudden appearance would startle anyone else, all it did to you two was intensify the laughter. “good to see you up. hey tori, why don’t you go get a drink or something. been up here since yesterday without a sip.” She seemed reluctant, but couldn’t refute his points.

 

“Alright, Sans. I expect you to get me if anything happens, though.”

 

“don’t worry. i’ve got my eye socket on them, and that’s a promise.”

 

Appeased, she followed Asgore’s path downstairs, equally jovial responses welcoming her. As much as you wanted to talk to him, you knew there were some questions hanging in the air between you. “alright, frisk. you know what i’m about to ask. how’d ya find the lab and why’d ya touch the machine?” Simple enough questions, though the answer was kind of odd.

 

“It was kind of like my Determination was telling me where to go. For both the lab and the Enabler.” Your response surprised him. Fair enough, you realized. He hadn’t told you the thing’s name yet, but you knew it anyway. That reminded you of your promise.

 

“Sans, I have a very important message.” You sculpted your face into the definition of serious. He returned the effort, staring you right in the eye. He seemed to be holding his breath, ensuring nothing he heard would be distorted in the least. “Sans,” you began.

 

“I am King Doo Dee of the Sew Ar Empire.”

 

You weren’t sure how he would react, but what he did was the last, least Sans-like thing you could imagine. His torso sagged into gravity’s pull, his legs’ firm connection to his chair being the only thing between him and the ground.

 

“how… where did you hear that?” His voice was a quiet mumble, but you heard him well enough.

 

“An old friend of yours told me. He wanted me to tell you something.” He remained motionless, all focus shifted into hearing. “I’m doing alright, boney boy. Don’t go fretting too much over me. The pleasant chat your friend and I had will hold me over for a few more decades. Tell Alphys I said hi and congrats for finding that special someone. End quote.”

 

He stayed as he was for several moments. You were starting to get worried when you heard his choked chuckling. Shifting your position down a little more allowed you to see that he was crying.

 

“kid, that has to be the most immature, childish…” He pulled himself up, aligning his eyes with yours. Through the tears, you saw his eye lights sparkling. “… beautiful thing i’ve ever heard.” You tried moving to pat his shoulder, but found your limbs were too heavy.

 

He seemed to appreciate the attempt, ruffling up your hair. He pulled a tissue out of his pocket, wiping away the fluid built up on his bones. You spent several minutes in calm silence, waiting for him to regain his composure. It didn’t take too long, the old, chill Sans returning.

 

“thanks, man. i really needed that.” Thankfully, you still had the control to give a thumbs up. “how much did he tell you about the whole enabler thing? never was a fan of talking about himself.”

 

“Not much. Did learn something about myself, something I needed badly.” You could practically see him filing that line of questioning away for later. Now, however, it was time you got some long awaited answers. Sans shifted back in his seat, looking down slightly.

 

“started about twenty years back or so. this weird guy stumbled out of the ruins one day. this was before tori set up shop there, mind, so he didn’t get a guide out. ‘sides, he was already on the older side, so i’m not sure he would get the same treatment anyway.”

 

“when monsters found him, they were intrigued. again, this was before the whole chara thing, so there wasn’t any hostility there yet.” There was no doubt he saw you flinch at that name. You would tell him what you learned in due time, but it was his turn right now.

 

“anyway, he never really liked all the attention. he never refuted the hospitality, even had tea with asgore a few times, but gaster was just a natural introvert. his nerves got to the point that he started wearing one of those theater masks around. you know the ones, half happy, half sad?” So that was why his face was so stiff. It was a mask all along!

 

“he showed some real skill with science, specifically technology, so the big guy hired him as the royal scientist, before alphys. he was brilliant, tinkering around with what we had to make it better. pretty sure that rocket feature on your phone was based on one of his unfinished blueprints.”

 

“this is where alphys and i come in. she, pap, and i were what you might call street rats. no parents, no home, no desire to do much of anything. or maybe that was just me, details. gaster found us one foot in the grave behind some buildings, scrounging around some bins for chow. old softy took us in on the spot. guess you could say he was part best pal, part pops to us. not sure which he was closer to.”

 

“after a while, he caught alphys and i fiddling with his contraptions. pap never really cared about science, but the two of us got caught real hard by the whole thing. care to guess what he did when he saw us elbow deep in his newest project?”

 

Gaster didn’t seem like the type to freak out at something like that. You guessed that he calmly told them why it was a bad idea. Sans squeezed a whoopee cushion in his pocket in response.

 

“not even close. our hearts nearly jumped out of our chests when we heard him yell ‘quick slide that t-87 chip a few more inches left! i think you’re on to something!’ from that point on, we were almost always in that lab, building random junk when he wasn’t messing with something big.”

 

That explained where he got those blasters from when Chara Frisk fought him. The idea of little versions of two of your friends working alongside your new friend, filled you with Determination. A Save formed. Your health must have been worse than you thought. Even Saving tingled now, like a static jolt in your ribs.

 

“really loved that life, before all this time stuff. shame it couldn’t last.” You swallowed heavily, sensing the approach of something big. “every day, he saw monsters using magic. he was almost envious of our abilities. not to dangerous levels or anything. guy couldn’t hurt a fly. but he still wanted a way to do as we do, to use magic. this’s where the enabler comes in.”

 

“one day, he found something bouncing around in a soul sample. he always took little slides of his own body bits for research, thought the way the body worked could improve machinery. been tested and improved over thousands of years, or so he said.”

 

“what he found was a powerful form of energy. the ability to see any challenge through, to change fate. he called it ‘determination.’ he realized that if humans had such a strong force within them, he should be able to use it somehow. after a year of heavy testing, theorizing, creating, our efforts led to the machine.”

 

“it was made to energize the soul and spread its store of determination through the entire body, much in the way magic works for monsters. it enables determination. gaster wasn’t great with names, either. kind of a trend down there in hindsight. anyway, he knew monsters usually didn’t have a big enough stock of the stuff to test the thing with, so he stepped up himself. he was just so excited to see the world as we do, to feel the rush of magic. it was the happiest we had ever seen him, stepping up to that thing.”

 

“one thing you learn about being me, though, is that the world is cruel. if there is a god out there, he has a real vendetta against sans the skeleton. i think it all started right there, in that lab, when we messed with the ways of the soul.”

 

“at first, everything seemed fine. a few sparks crackled across his robes, and he was reveling in the feeling. if i remember right, he said it was like getting a drink after a week in the desert. absolutely fulfilling. then things went wrong, starting with his palms. the power popped through them, leaving these huge holes.” Your mind flashed back to the gaps in Gaster’s skeletal hands.

 

“then he just started screaming, wailing. his body looked like a popsicle left in the sun, all melting under the pressure. i tried pulling him off, i tried to save him. alphys was doing everything shy of taking a crowbar to the enabler to turn it off, but it was no use. one second he was there, the next he was gone, fizzed out like a busted tv setting. or that’s what alphys said. the instant it happened, i got caught up in the crossfire, knocked on my back and knocked out. when i came to, my world fell on its head.”

 

“determination is tied closely to the flow of time. when his went haywire, it wiped anything pertaining to him from our world. his work vanished, his closest apprentices vanished, and his memory was all but gone.” How was that possible? You knew time shenanigans messed with memory, but wiping them without a Reload or Reset?

 

“weird as it sounds, it’s true. alphys and i got to stick around because of the time proof metal in the lab. pap survived because he didn’t work on any of the stuff with us. he had just little enough memory of him to avoid deletion, but his memories were wiped. same goes for the rest of the underground. took alphys and I nearly a month to go around and cover up the gaps he left. she became the royal scientist to fill that void, and pap and i just became drifters people happened to like. i couldn’t take the city anymore, so i suggested we move out to snowdin. the rest is history.”

 

“didn’t exactly get out of it unscathed either.” You watched as the lights in his eyes vanished, replaced by the abyss of empty eye sockets. His face twisted in rage for a moment before straightening, now sporting one burning, blue eye. It scared you, but you knew it wasn’t directed at you. Just a reflex at this point. “pretty sure it’s how i got this.”

 

“when we got to snowdin, pap brought it up that i was gettin’ and awful lot of headaches lately. went out into the woods to drain a bit of magic, thinking that was the issue, but found myself flinging gravity’s switch every which way. showed pap to see what he thought, and he just found it, his words, not mine, really neat. guy went out of his way to mimic me, and you saw first hand how well it worked for him.”

 

“mine was always just stronger somehow. guess that’s what happens when you link magic with determination. just imagine how scary it would have been if not you got their hands on that combo. let me tell ya, that’s a scary thought.” You couldn’t have agreed more.

 

“payed a price for it, though. the old body just couldn’t take strain after that. confused me before, but now that we know about the amalgamates and what hit them, i think i get it. the wave that hit boosted the determination in my system, which in turn buffed my magic at the cost of a lot of my physicality. got the endurance of a wet tissue. might be why i’m so lazy. or maybe that’s just an excuse, who knows?” He gave you his best comedic shrug, but his worn down appearance didn’t quite strike you as funny.

 

“guess it also hooked me into the loop when someone else used determination. every time you reset or reload, i can kind of tell. the me at the point you blink back to gets hit with deja vu, like he’s watching a show he just barely remembers, but has a good idea of what happens next. you know what i mean? real handy for dealing with other frisks, but a depressing pain in the butt otherwise.”

 

You felt sorry for him. All of this loss, everything good that happened ripped away, and all compounded by you messing with time. It made you nearly buckle under the guilt, and his sagging, tired look didn’t help. You didn’t care how your fatigued body felt about it, but you were giving this skeleton a hug before he left.

 

“i kept that thing around all these years, carting it with me, just hoping there was a way to flip it in reverse. to save my old pal. and now that stupid little wish almost killed my new pal. no, worse than that. it almost wiped you away, only to be remembered by one lonely little sack of bones. i’m a real idiot, aren’t i?” His renewed sobbing was the last straw.

 

Your muscles screamed in agony as you pulled him into the best hug you could manage. He froze at first, but got the message that you weren’t letting go until he calmed down. You just sat there like that for a while, waiting for him to even out. When the moment arrived, you got back into a laying position (to the relief of your aching body), but left a hand on his arm.

 

“Still here, aren’t I?” He nodded. “Everyone remembers me, right?”

 

“kid, i’m pretty sure they’d stare down evil you before forgetting this you. same goes for me, and i know how that usually ends.”

 

“Then I forgive you. And I promise I’ll help you save him any way I can.” You saw his breath catch for a second before fighting it down. He barely avoided crying again.

 

“thanks, frisk. for that and for hearing me out. gets real tiring to carry this stuff myself. i’ll tell alphys about this, but that’s it, alright?” You nodded, knowing you could trust her to keep it secret. Your mouth widened in a deep yawn, exhaustion catching back up with you. “go ahead and sleep. i’ve got an eye socket on ya, so don’t worry. i’ll wake you up if anything big happens.”

 

You quietly thanked him before curling up into the sheets. On the edge of your dreamscape, you swore you could see a lone figure waving. It was spelling out ‘thank you’ in sign language.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's that for a backstory?


	9. Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Speaking with Gaster was a fun experience. The sick time that followed, though? Not so much. At least that was the extent of the damage, right?

Being out of commission for so long was certainly a new experience for you. It had been years since you were last sick, the common cold, but this was a different beast entirely. For two weeks, every movement bigger than clenching your hand hurt. Having your Determination enabled was a painful process. At least you were back in the comforting smell of home, a sweet mixture of baked goods and flowers.

 

The entire time, you received at least a few visitors a day. Lansot and Brutus popped in as soon as Mom would let them. They heard that it was a bigger wave of whatever put you in the nurse’s office during training (a lie you weren’t willing to admit just yet.) This only made Brutus’s guilt worse, forcing you to comfort him. No one knew what happened that time exactly, so it wasn’t fair to pin it on him. You also added a crack about bodyguards not needing that kind of baggage on duty, prompting a hearty laugh from your friend. They parted with the advanced promise of keeping you up to date on any homework you missed.

 

Sans came by a few more times, occasionally with Papyrus. The latter’s eternal good mood was a much needed pick-me-up. Whenever Sans was alone, though, you each filled in a few more gaps in your stories. You told him everything about Chara, much to his horror. The idea of Mom being so close to a psychotic murderer once sent chills up his spine, to the point where he didn’t even take advantage of that practically gift-wrapped joke. You had to make him promise to stay quiet about it for now. The past was better left there, you decided. At least you both had found some comfort that it wasn’t by your will alone that the bad timeline happened.

 

He, in turn, told you some of the happier times with Gaster. A family movie night, Sans’s first expert use of a whoopee cushion, Papyrus’s first try at cooking (supposedly it was meant to be macaroni. It looked more like a pot of coal covered in cheese sauce.) It all inspired you to work twice as hard when the time came to help. Maybe you could use your Reloads for infinite time? Something to work out later.

 

He left, and Alphys came in. After checking to see if you were generally okay, to which your response was a resounding ‘meh,’ you could see her stumbling with her words a bit. She kept muttering something about a lab and a scientist, giving you a good idea of what she was asking. You confirmed that you had met Gaster and that Sans was telling the truth. The effect was immediate, her hugging you as hard as your damaged state would comfortably allow and thanking you repeatedly.

 

She eventually calmed down, realizing how embarrassing her actions were, before moving on to something you didn’t see coming. She wanted to know if there was anything… different with your functions since the incident. Aside from erasure, she didn’t know any effects of the Enabler. You said no, still not comfortable with the idea of spreading the details regarding your Saves and the new light stinging therein, but you told her you would keep your eye open.

 

The other visits weren’t too notable. Knighty Knight came in to make sure you were sleeping well once, and 01 and 02 came by with more of their soup, saying it had a lot of, quote, ‘stuff that’s good for a growing body.’ It was nice to see their relationship was going well. You even got a call from Napstablook, saying that Mettaton was holding a special show for you later that day as well as the channel it would be playing on.

 

You tuned in to a sweet little gift from the guy. It started with a solo performance from Shyren, who you were happy to see was getting over her stage fright. You guessed that that was the point, since they knew you were watching. It was followed by reenactments of all the scenes you and Mettaton performed back Underground, though heavily doctored to keep the whole anti-human thing under wraps (that was one line every single monster agreed to never cross.) There was even a remix of the tune he sang during your final duel. It was good to see that whole business was just a distant memory no one minded joking about as well as his group’s growing success. The crowd loved it almost as much as you did.

 

Greater Dog’s presence just made it better. He came in before the show started, Mom explaining that he thought you could use a bit of extra protection while you were busy watching the show. You were pretty sure that was the most transparent cover either of you had ever heard. Sure enough, as soon as Mom left, he leapt out of his armor to snuggle by you and watch the show. It seemed you both liked that ‘fight’ back then.

 

That was the last notable thing before your full recovery. By the time it rolled around and you could move again, Mom was happy to inform you that the Ebott village school had been completed. She also, almost regretfully, showed you the pile of assignments you had missed while out. You had some work to do before Monday.

 

-

 

You and Lansot walked along the road, feeling a bit odd that it was a thing you could do now. Why waste gas when the new building was a good stone’s toss away? You found yourself looking at a beautifully crafted brick building lined by marble pillars. A tree stood on both sides of the entrance, giving it all a very welcoming feeling. You both entered, getting a feel for the new environment.

 

While locating your lockers, you felt a large, heavy hand thud on your shoulder. It honestly startled you.

 

“Why Frisk no tell Brutus of recovery?” You turned, and, sure enough, your best human friend was standing there in his heavy leather jacket. You were about to ask, but Lansot beat you to it.

 

“Hey, dude! What are you doing here? Don’t you have school, too?” Brutus got an almost smug smile on his face.

 

“What Lansot talking about? Brutus is at school!” You both lit up at that. “Leaders at New Haven say it for best if humans go to monster school. Brutus signed up on spot. Monsters better friends to Brutus than humans. Mostly,” he added, seeing you about to bring up your own humanity. “Brutus not only one.” He pointed down the hall at a familiar black-knit hat.

 

Pierce was talking with Vulkin. The latter looked to be offering a bite of her lunch, but he had to decline. It was good to see the two species making friends. It certainly made your job easier. The less issues that arose between humans and monsters, the less material critics had to lob at them besides the holier-than-thou dribble they always used. The very thought of them trying to oust your best friends and family as demons made your Determination flare.

 

“Ow!” Lansot yelled. He shied away from the hand you had on his back. “Careful with the static, man. That sucked!” You gave him an apologetic smile. You needed a way to get off that train of thought, anyway. No use being angry at people so hateful as to outright dismiss innocent monsters. Your thoughts were interrupted again by the first bell. The school day had begun.

 

-

 

Gym hour rolled around. It had been decided that, in order to keep yourself sociable, every now and then you would participate in normal activities instead of special training. Thankfully, your first day adhering to this plan, which was also the first day at Ebott’s school, was the host to one of your favorite games.

 

Dodgeball, the game you could be useful at without being violent to any degree. Just dodge the projectiles and catch them if you can. Feed those balls back to your team and repeat the process until victory or defeat. It seemed like it would be the former thanks to the hulking mass of Brutus standing right next to you. You had a nice system going. Brutus did the throwing part, you caught anything he was too slow to avoid.

 

Eventually, this led to the two of you being the last ones remaining on your side. It was a duo versus ten monsters. A ball zoomed in from the left, and you strafed right. Another from the right, and you threw yourself left. Waiting for you there was Snow Drake, a ball in wing. He threw it before you could recover. It looked like game over until Brutus jumped in front of you. There went your muscle.

 

Now it was only you. A nearly literal storm of projectiles flew around you. All your practice was paying off, as it seemed no one could catch you. Then the mouse girl, Furette, came up to bat. Each ear was full of ammo, and she was intent on using it to the best of her ability. She had one heck of a throwing arm, the rounds coming at you with the speed of a machine gun. She knew it was a long shot to hit you as it was. She only needed one small opening.

 

An opening you gave her by straying too close to the boundary. You stood right in front of her, signaling her finishing move. Both of her ears flicked upwards, sending a maelstrom in your direction. It looked like the end once more.

 

Your eyesight blurred unnaturally. These visions had the worst timing.

 

-

 

_Around you was a void, the hollow world that would envelop everything if you_ _failed. The only other occupant hovered in front of you, the source of this degraded_ _space. Omega Flowey looked down at you, laughing, as he peppered you with bombs._ _You were determined to win this time._

 

-

 

Every muscle in your body clenched. You felt something flow through you. It felt kind of like a Save, but far more empowering. A tingle ran through your legs. You flung yourself backwards, accompanied by the crack of thunder. Yard after yard of court stretched ahead of you. Your back hit the wall, the recoil forcing your head to look down. What you saw startled you right out of the combat chill you had perfected.

 

Your legs were cloaked in electricity. You had expected it to burn, but seconds passed with no such pain. By the time your heart had settled back into a steady rhythm, the energy had stopped. You looked up at your classmates, their own shock confirming that you hadn’t, in fact, gone insane. The coach, Aaron, was over as quickly as possible.

 

“Wow, bro, what happened out there?” You glanced between him and the field behind him, the surprise still imbedded in the students’ faces. Brutus was straight up confused. You felt yourself starting to hyperventilate.

 

“I don’t know…” A familiar hand found its way to your shoulder. The hard angles of bone, while likely disconcerting to most humans, was a welcome sensation to you.

 

“think we’ll need alphys for this one.” He glanced at Aaron. “mind if i take ‘em?”

 

“Go ahead, bro. Just tell us what’s up later, got it?”

 

“sure, sure. okay, gonna need you guys to close your eyes, alright?” A moment of hesitation later, everyone followed the directions. That was his cue to start the warp. Your atoms shook, losing all sensation a second later.

 

-

 

Alphys and Sans sat above you behind the glass of an observation booth. You were standing in the middle of a large, metal field. It struck you as a modernized version of the Colosseum. Alphys, upon hearing about the incident, immediately gathered materials to test with. Undyne was more than happy to lend her training chamber to find out what was going on with her bestie.

 

Sensors lined your body. In order to get the most unobstructed coverage, you were wearing a light brown, sleeveless shirt and green shorts. Your wrists and forehead all bore bands linked with thin, durable wires. Small pads dotted your skin, Alphys explaining that they would let her track what was going on inside of you. Every type of sensor from heat to magic was included in the mix for maximum coverage.

 

It was decided that, in order to best simulate a situation in which the stress matched that of the dodgeball game, you were going to have a fight. She assured you it was just a sparring session and no more. To that end, Undyne was on the opposite end of the field holding a wooden pole instead of a spear. Just in case things got out of hand, though, you had formed a Save before entering the arena. You also subtly made sure Sans knew so he didn’t freak if he felt time distort.

 

“Alright, punk, you ready?” You shrugged, feeling as ready as you would ever be. “Alphys, you know what to do!” She started hitting buttons and flipping switches, causing electronics to start whirring across the arena. The ground changed into a purple dirt and a relatively small mountain range rose in front of you. It looked like, in order to up the stress, they had decided to simulate the area in Waterfall you had fought Undyne in. This was one advanced virtual-meets-reality system!

 

You didn’t have time to admire it, though, as Undyne began her charge. You knew exactly how to handle this, weaving in and out of each swing. Though she understood your fighting methods, they still frustrated Undyne to some degree.

 

This continued for nearly an hour. She swung at you, you remained unscathed through dodging, and Alphys kept an eye on the monitors your bands connected to. It all started falling apart as you began to run out of steam. Her strikes started to clip you, each making you more and more clumsy. This eventually descended into you having to deflect her attacks.

 

“I know you can do better, Frisk! Stop holding out!” Your frustration began to stir. You spotted her tricks immediately. It was the same method by which she pushed recruits, playing off their anger to get the adrenaline circulating. It wasn’t enough, though. Your anger was always a tough nut to crack, locked beneath the heaviest doors. Even the worst situations only ever grazed that point, never crossing it. You just needed a little more incentive…

 

Your vision started blurring. From the farthest reaches of your Soul, a memory emerged. It began to overlay reality. You could see both, though Undyne was severely slower. Was this what your life flashing before your eyes was like?

 

_A flower poked from the ground before you. Its face was turned upwards in a_ _cruel smile._

 

_“You really are an idiot, aren’t you? You’ll never survive down here like that. Here,_ _it’s kill or be killed!” That twisted mindset, the lack of empathy in his words, made you_ _proud to be living proof against it. The thought of disproving such a horrible mindset,_ _filled you with Determination._

 

Perfect. You felt power coursing through your body. The tingle returned, encapsulating your entire form. You subconsciously focused it where it would be needed most, the tips of your limbs with some spared for the rest of their length. Undyne’s grin grew wide, overjoyed to see your new abilities.

 

“That’s more like it!” You could practically feel the energy radiating off of her. “Let’s do this, punk!” She charged you again, though kept her strikes at as long a range as possible. Hot blooded as she was, Undyne was a proper warrior. She knew where caution was required.

 

Each swing bounced off your body. The electricity was a veritable wall between you and her, near complete protection. The pole’s surface was beginning to char from repeated contact. Her attacks hurt her more than they hurt you, and that was only when your increased speed didn’t make striking you impossible. You heard Alphys writing away, recording everything she saw. You spared a quick glance up to see Sans was staring directly at you. You weren’t sure what emotion was being displayed.

 

-

 

It was incredible. I already knew the kid was good, but this was something else. It was like the kid was a storm with a body. I was totally cracking a ‘rain on your parade’ joke later. When the constant scratching of a pencil stopped, I looked over to make sure Alphys was alright. She was just staring slack jawed at the screen.

 

I wanted to see what was up, so I scooted over. The screen showed the outline of Frisk’s body. The kid’s constant moving made the sensors a bit hard to track, but it wasn’t impossible to put together. Their body heat and adrenaline were at their highest possible level. They weren’t even breaking a sweat.

 

They had a big fat zero for magic readings. That didn’t sound right at first. That had to be magic out there. Sure, it was impossible from what old records said, but how else would you explain wearing lightning? Then I saw the last number.

 

“their determination is through the roof…” I couldn’t believe my eyes. The heat could be waved off as an effect of being that close to electricity, and I knew they were a determined person (time shenanigans and all), but this was a new one. The connection was instant, and I knew Alphys realized it, too. We slowly turned to each other.

 

“The Enabler worked.” We were torn between excitement and sorrow.

 

“so why didn’t it work for him?”

 

-

 

Down swing, move left. Right swing, duck. Foot shot, jump. Onwards and onwards the cycle went until you noticed her start stumbling more. Her balance was getting thrown off. Even the best ran out of energy eventually, something you knew very well at that moment. You were going to need a nap after this, or at least some chisps.

 

On a particularly sluggish down swing, your determination highlighted the chance. You took a swing into the pole’s arc. Upon impact, both forces halted, but you proved stronger. The wood split and splintered, and the force travelled down its length. Undyne lost the rest of her balance, falling backwards. She could only stare up at you, just as shocked as you.

 

“Where did that come from?” Your sparks vanished, but she caught you in a noogie hug before you could apologize. “I’ve been waiting for you to show off like that since day one!” Her sign of affection, while a sign you hadn’t crossed any boundaries, wasn’t helping the exhaustion that was setting in. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the two weeks after the Enabler, but you still probably needed to rest.

 

“Drained,” you croaked to her. She knew what you meant immediately, and put you on her neck piggy-back style. The ride up to the booth was a bit long, but you started feeling better as soon as she put you down on a sofa near the door. Alphys handed you a glass of water, much to your dry throat’s relief.

 

“So, what’s the headband say? Any clue what’s letting them spark up?” Alphys nodded, but you could still see how dumbfounded she was. Undyne noticed it, too.

 

“You remember the Determination experiments, right?”

 

“Course I do. The stuff you guys wanted to bust the barrier with, but ended up making the Amalgamates. What about ‘em?”

 

“that’s what’s doing it.” Undyne seemed taken back by that.

 

“Wait, wait, wait. The stuff that melted monsters practically made Frisk half monster? What sense does that make?” You could see the gears in Alphys’s head turning, figuring out an explanation that didn’t link to anything Gaster related. You didn’t envy her position.

 

It did give you a chance to reflect. It looked like your ordeal wasn’t completely without benefit. These electric powers were pretty cool, but that was just a nice bonus. You were able to prove Gaster’s theories right! You hoped he was watching right now to see the good news.

 

“Well,” Alphys started. “Determination is usually something that only exists in someone’s Soul. That’s how monsters handle the small amount they have without losing their bodies. I don’t know how, but it looks like the DT in Frisk’s Soul made a path through their entire body. In a sense, they’ve mimicked the internal magical workings of monsters while retaining their almost completely physical form.”

 

“That. Is. Awesome!” Undyne could barely hold back her excitement. “Now I get to help them train with magic, too!” She turned back to you, grabbing your shoulders roughly. Thankfully, your muscles were already starting to recover. Thanks, magic infused water! “Kid, you’ve got to tell me how you did it.” You shrugged, playing along with the charade. For all intents and purposes, the lab under Sans’s shed didn’t exist.

 

“hey,” Sans said, cutting off her impending freak out and demand for answers. “the kid did something that busted up the barrier, right? maybe there was some sort of old human magic in there you soaked up. humans had to put it up somehow.”

 

The solid, if misleading theory satisfied Undyne’s demands and then some.

 

“That makes perfect sense! Good thinking Sans.” Once again, she looked down at you. “Ready for some intense magic training, Undyne Style!? You can join up with me and Pap for next week’s session!”

 

As exciting as that sounded, you couldn’t shake off the feeling of impending danger. If she was as hyperactive with combat training as she was for cooking practice, you were going to need to borrow a suit of Temmie Armor. You hoped they still had some in stock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, there be human magic now. Buckle in, folks, things are picking up speed!


	10. Embers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magic is pretty sweet. It can increase speed, boost defensive capabilities, and so much more. I wonder what else it could do...

Training, as it turned out, was a lot more chill than you thought. At least for you it was. You could hear Papyrus working hard just past the tree line. You were stationed near the river, sitting with your legs crossed on a stump. Undyne was leaning on a nearby tree, watching you intently.

 

“Alright, punk, you ready?” You could tell she was barely restraining her excitement. You nodded. “Good. There are just two rules here. One, you do what I say when I say it. Two, no half as… effort. I meant to say effort. Just, don’t get lazy on me. Got it?” You decided to get into the spirit.

 

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” you belted, salute and all. Your antics amused her if the grin was any indication.

 

“Good! Now close your eyes.” Those orders were confusing at that moment. Wouldn’t you need your eyes to work with your DT magic? Still, she knew what was best, Captain of the Guard and all. You followed her orders. “Now, void your heart of all emotion. Be nothing but calm.”

 

You didn’t expect meditation to be on her training program. It wasn’t an unpleasant surprise, though. You lost track of time sitting there, waiting for your thoughts to balance out. Eventually, all emotion left you.

 

“Try to feel out the inside of your body. Let no sensation go ignored. Pay very close attention to even the smallest beat of your heart.” Under most circumstances, those directions would have been disorienting at best. Now though, with all thoughts cleared, they made perfect sense.

 

You started with the heart, the most active piece of your internal workings. You could feel the blood leave it with each pulse. You followed these streams out, awareness filling your limbs oh so slowly. You could ‘see’ every vein, every artery, and every blood cell therein.

 

Then, you felt something new. It lined the space around your bloodstream, but was far less dense. It was like pure energy, branching out from these bases and tapping into every muscle in your body. You traced it back to the source, your heart. More specifically, the phantom presence within it.

 

Your Soul. You realized that this was your DT. You could ‘see’ it inside you, embracing and empowering every cell it touched. It was exhilarating. Your discovery did not go unseen.

 

“Looks like you found it,” Undyne noticed. “Guess Alphy was right about it being the same as magic.” If you weren’t so focused on this newfound awareness of your body, you would probably be giggling at how loose she was getting with the pet names. It was honestly adorable.

 

“That’s your power’s flow through your body. Normally, it takes years of gradual discovery and growth for a monster to find these streams, little lone make use of them, but it looks like human magic works a bit differently. At least for you anyway. Kinda hit you like a truck.”

 

“Next exercise. You need to get a feel for how your Determination magic responds to emotion. Start messing around with your feelings and map out responses.” But you just got calm. Why ruin it now? “Working from absolute zero will let you see the change better. Better to solo out emotions than have them mix and mess with your records.” That actually made a lot of sense.

 

You tried forcing your feelings out, but to no avail. You couldn’t push yourself out of the pit, so to speak. If there was just a way to give it some more juice…

 

The visions! They always made your emotions more active. You just had to force one to start. You heard a tree fall nearby, followed by a sharp “NYEH!” That brought to mind one that would cause sorrow. You centered your thoughts around Snowdin, the smell of bones, the weight of a knife…

 

_“I KNOW YOU CAN BE GOOD. I PROMISE.”_

 

That did it. Your heart became heavy, guilt washing over you. Even with the knowledge that it wasn’t your efforts exclusively, the idea of causing so much destruction was a staggering burden.

 

Your DT shifted. It became heavier, more dense. It started sinking in your body. It was a horrible sensation, only enhancing your issues surrounding that timeline. You shook that memory off and focused on another. You needed a shot of joy after that.

 

_“We’re not just gonna be friends. We’re gonna be… besties!”_

 

Ah, sweet memories. Even if she did come on a little strong, Undyne’s genuine declaration of wanting to befriend you filled you with joy. It was a sign that your way of avoiding conflict was worth it in the end.

 

Another change happened. This time, your streams loosened up. Instead of straightforward flows, they began to spread out into ribbons. Your limbs became lighter, more floaty. It was a great feeling. Nevertheless, you had to get moving.

 

Fear should be interesting. Since you were already thinking of Undyne, you knew the perfect source of terror. You let the soft swish of the river carry you back to Waterfall.

 

_The heavy clank of armor followed you closely. Your heart jumped with every_ _spear that burst through the ground. You had to keep moving._

 

That was a much more bitter memory. You weren’t sure if she would be more proud or guilty that she so thoroughly scared you that time.

 

Your energy started to shake. Every atom it touched became jittery, ready to avoid at a moment’s notice. This must have been what happened during the dodgeball game. Getting control of it could be beyond useful.

 

One major emotion remained, anger. Intentionally triggering it still wasn’t all that easy. The last time you needed it, your Soul automatically handed you the key. Maybe it could do so again? You reached deep within, hoping it would hold the answer.

 

_It was hard to breath. Every attempt was met with heavy coughs and more lost_ _air. The ceiling was coming down around you. Any attempt at motion resulted in pain._ _That didn’t stop you from trying. You needed to find your…_

 

_The pain vanished and a podium arose. A man in a suit stood at it, yelling into a_ _crowd that was eating up everything he said. You could feel the oil in his voice._

 

_“These monsters are here to take control! We can’t let them conquer our way of_ _life! Stand up and fight back for the good of your country, the good of the world!” The_ _audience held pitchforks, rattling them at the thought of the ‘scary monsters.’ Their_ _voices cried out as the speaker’s silenced._

 

_“Drive them back underground!”_

 

_“Put them in chains!”_

 

_“Kill them before they kill us!”_

 

_No, not now. Not in your happy ending. You wouldn’t let them touch your friends._ _You couldn’t let them take your…_

 

“Frisk!” The sound of a real voice forced you out of your thoughts. You could feel your face untwist from the deep scowl that had formed. Something warm was under you. Your eyes opened to see the trunk you were sitting on had been set on fire. Instinct kicked in, your lighting helping you jump off the log. It also landed you in the shallow edge of the river. At least you weren’t burning in there. Undyne was over in seconds, pulling you to your feet.

 

“The heck did you just try doing!?” At least she was more worried than angry.

 

“Tried testing anger. Newscast memories.” She knew what you meant.

 

“Oh, all the anti monster stuff, right?” She rustled your hair with another noogie hug. “Don’t sweat it, kid. Anyone gets it in their head to come around here and start trouble, I’ll be on them like Mettaton on a bad employee. Promise.” You knew she meant it, but the thought still troubled you. “What say you lay off the rage for a bit, at least until you learn some more control.” You directed your attention back to the burning stump and nodded with a nervous smile.

 

-

 

You were at home, waiting patiently at the dinner table. You could smell the casserole cooking in the next room. In the mean time, you were poking around UnderNet, seeing what everyone else was up to. There wasn’t too much happening, but they all sounded happy enough. Then again, the Temmies’ first posts after figuring out how the internet worked were pretty funny.

 

Mom walked in, a relaxed smile on her face. She took off her cooking mitts and sat down with a sigh. Running a school and a household, while very rewarding endeavors, exhausted her all the same.

 

“So,” she started, thinking a conversation would help pass the last few minutes before dinner. “I hear your first training session went fairly well today.” You had to agree with that, barring the burning tree stump. Mom, while surprised at the discovery of DT magic (and annoyed that no one told her until school had ended that day), was more than happy that you were receiving help from one of the best monster-kind could offer. Even if Undyne’s methods were a bit too harsh for her tastes at times. You were pretty sure she had issued a warning about any permanent damage.

 

You gestured for her to hold on a second, opening your palms towards each other. Your hands were a few inches apart, just as Undyne had advised. You focused on the streams there, pushing them closer to the surface. As they neared the skin, small trickles of electricity started bouncing between the surfaces. Touching the bottoms of your palms and curling your fingers towards each other, a small orb of raw energy formed. You dispelled it before it could get out of hand by pressing your palms together.

 

“You’re learning quickly! It takes most monsters upwards of a year of training before they can materialize their magic at will.” You couldn’t help but be bashful at that, a shy smile adorning your face. A sharp ding from the kitchen spared you any further embarrassment. “Sounds like the casserole is finished. Would you care to help me carry everything in?” You nodded excitedly and followed her towards the smell of food.

 

On the way, something else caught your attention. It was faint, almost unnoticeable, but it struck you as unusual. A light ticking tugged at the corners of your ears. Putting your DT to use, you tried focusing it towards you ears. That was definitely ticking you heard. A little bit of energy enhanced your nose as well, allowing you to smell something weird, really heavy, almost choking…

 

‘Gunpowder!’ you realized. A loud beep rose from the floor beneath you. “Look out!” Your sudden outburst surprised Mom so much that she wasn’t able to hold against your tackle. You felt a shockwave roll over you a moment later, burning fragments of flooring soon to follow. Your eardrums rang from the sudden blast, and the following cascade of similar detonations didn’t help. Mom was quicker to her feet than you.

 

“Frisk, take my hand!” You followed her directions despite your dazed state. You stumbled behind her as you ran through the house. You didn’t make it far as another explosion came from the wall to your right. Mom hugged you close to her, taking the brunt of the damage. She collapsed in pain as the struggle took its toll. You didn’t have enough strength to pull her up, barely remaining upright on your knees.

 

The house around you was ablaze, smoke poring through the rooms. Pain filled your body. Your lungs struggled to keep a steady flow of oxygen. The air was hot, nearly burning.

 

“Mom, please, get up!” Your face was stained by tears.

 

“Get out of here, child. I will be fine. Please go!” You knew that was a lie. She was in no condition to take another blast. If she stayed here, she would die. You couldn’t lose her, you just couldn’t…

 

A headache hit, your eyesight blurring. No, this was no time for a vision. You needed to stay here. You had to…

 

 _The ceiling collapsed around you. Voices echoed_ through the walls. Someone was _here to help. You yelled for_ them, but no one would be here quick enough. _Never_ again, never. Never.

 

 **“Never.”** Your lungs clamped shut, blocking out the smoke. Toxins in the air would only slow you down. Your vision cleared, but was ringed by red. A negligible detail. A slab of the ceiling fell overhead. Its course would land on top of Mom. Not acceptable. The minute amount of air in your lungs rumbled in a growl as you swung up. Your hand burned on contact, but the energy you emitted made short work of the ceiling.

 

You grabbed Mom’s arm, pulling her to her feet. She was disoriented, but you could see well enough. You looked to your right. The wall was thick, but its integrity had been compromised by the fire. A nonissue. You placed a hand on its surface, electricity spreading from the point of contact. It tore apart moments later, leaving a path closer to safety.

 

You tugged at her arm, getting her to follow you. The fire had overtaken the entire house, but there was a pocket of fresh air between the walls. You breathed deeply, replenishing your lost oxygen. You could finish this now. The outermost walls of monster constructs were always the thickest. It allowed a building to remain standing in the most rigorous conditions, but was a difficult obstacle should it be in the way.

 

Your legs braced on the solid floor under you. For her sake, you needed to break the wall. It was in your way. **It had to go.** You leased the loudest yell you could manage, Determination flooding beneath your skin. You charged forward, taking most of the wall with you. The voices became clear as the moon’s light made itself known.

 

A crowd had formed from every neighbor within a mile and a half radius. Ex-residents of Hotland were about to breach the entrance when you made an emergency exit. Not important. You turned around. Mom was pulling herself through the opening. A segment of the wall collapsed, threatening to crush her.

 

 **Never.** You made another rush, projecting your energy several feet ahead of you. The threat crumbled as you struck. Hints of blue magic lined the structure. Not important. Mom was safe.

 

Reflecting light caught your eye. In the rubble was an unfamiliar casing. You picked it up, feeling the residue of gunpowder igniting. You knew it was a part of a bomb, a simple gunpowder and flint construct. Basic, but effective. Especially in high quantities. You felt an imprint on the shard. A fingerprint. The oil was fresh. Whoever set these wasn’t too far away.

 

Movement down the road. You focused on the source. A human. Male, somewhat thickset, mid thirties, brown hair. Smelled like **gunpowder.** Target located. You took off after him. Yards became inches beneath your feet. You caught up with him, passed him, and launched a single bolt at his feet. He tripped trying to avoid it, falling on his front.

 

You stood over him, inspecting him. Hands dyed deep black, likely from setting up the bombs. Clothing simple, not notable, a conscious choice as to not draw attention. He looked up at you, fear in eyes. Behind that was something else, disgust. Motive located. Judgment, guilty.

 

 **“You tried to kill us.”** Tears rolled down his face as he groveled. You heard hisslurred begging for mercy. What claim did he have? No decent cause. No misunderstandings. No excuses.

 

You needed something to help. Bare fists, while effective, were inefficient. Lightning burned in your hand, solidifying into one mass. It was a blade, a knife. No, not good enough, too light. It elongated into a proper sword, its edge segmented into several razor points. Perfect.

 

A wave of exhaustion overtook you. Your head throbbed, yet, at the same time, was relieved of a certain pressure. Your thoughts cleared as you fell. You idly wondered why you were holding a sword as it vanished in a shower of sparks.

 

You were caught by a pair of strong, thin arms. You looked down, finding long bones and red gloves. Papyrus, you realized. What a nice guy. You looked up, seeing some weird, stocky man. You didn’t know why, but he made you somewhat uneasy, angry almost. It was weird.

 

Brutus popped in, hefting the man over his head before flopping backwards atop him. Had the man tried to hurt you? 01 and 02 were closing in on him with a pair of handcuffs, Undyne coming up the side with a spear, so he must have.

 

A pillar of smoke rose some distance away. Was there a bonfire going on? It sounded fun, but you were just so tired. You passed out in Papyrus’s arms, his excited voice falling on deaf ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *looks left, looks right.*  
> Well that was... shocking.


	11. Ashes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hospital, a temple to the beginning and the end. Where one thing dies, another is born.

Little old me was left watching the kid in their hospital bed. Tori was getting patched up herself, and just about everyone else was trying to keep tabs on the investigation. Me, though, I was too busy worrying. I knew the look in their eyes, those red rings they got going. It was the look of a killer. The look of Chara. Had me jittering out of my skin (heh.)

 

Wasn’t the only one who saw it. Undyne was pacing outside the room, trying to burn off her energy. Made sense. She was a warrior, knew what killing intent was. And she knew that it had no place in Frisk’s little head. She was worried all the magic went to their head. I was worried all the time stuff went to their head. God help us if it’s both.

 

Eh, who am I kidding? Guy wouldn’t lift a finger for me. Never has.

 

Kid started twitching a little. Tried popping their arms, but the heavy bandages made it kind of hard. Going Kool-Aid Man on a wall really wasn’t good for ya.

 

Their eyes slid open. Kinda looked glazed over. Didn’t see the rage there, but I had to be sure. Kept my hands loose incase things went sour. When their eyes cleared up, they started looking around. They saw me and nearly freaked out.

 

“Sans, what’s wrong?” Their throat sounded real dry. Didn’t realize I had the fire thing going. I was really bad at the bedside thing under stress.

 

“sorry, pal, just had to be sure it was you i was talkin’ to.” They looked pretty confused at that, but started remembering things. Man, memories really had some weird timing with us. Looked pretty spooked themselves.

 

“Did I, hurt anyone?” Not a lick of concern for their own wounds. How Frisk of them.

 

“nah. got close, but no. actually saved tori, so i guess it worked out.” Hearing she was fine boosted their mood a bit, but they still looked pretty bummed, to put it lightly.

 

“Remember the promise, right?” As much as I didn’t want to, yeah, I remembered it. I let them know with a nod. I was just about to ask what was going on in their head, but Undyne chose that point to burst in. Real great timing, that one.

 

“Alright, I need answers, now!” Kid looked ready to wet themselves. And I thought I sucked at this. Least she snapped out of it soon enough to not scar them. “Sorry, but look. You kind of just overrode everything I knew about you, and I need some stable footing here.” If anything, that just made it worse for them.

 

“When you were looking at the sleaze ball who wired up your house, you looked ready to kill him. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t blame ‘em. I’d’ve skewered him myself if the guards didn’t stop me. You’re a different kind of person though.”

 

“Papyrus tried to capture you, you ended up on a date with him. I tried to kill you, we went from foes to friends to besties in a snap. Alphys tricked you, you didn’t even bat an eye. Heck, we all saw you and Asgore out shopping the day after he almost started a fight to the death. So I have to ask…” She closed in, looking the kid dead in the eye. “…what on earth could drive **you** to kill?”

 

The kid kept the surprises coming. They just kind of clamped up. Turned on their opposite side, curled as far as they could, and sat there. I mean, we knew they liked the silent treatment, but this was ridiculous.

 

“c’mon, frisk. we need to know if we’re gonna avoid it next time.” They just sat there, shaking their head. Should’ve figured they’d be the stubborn type. Determination’s down side and all. “really, how bad could it be?” That sparked a reaction, but not the one I wanted. They started shivering. Pretty sure they would’ve been sobbing a bit if Undyne didn’t interrupt.

 

“Hey,” she said, putting a hand on their shoulder. Didn’t think she could sound that gentle. “You’re a tough kid, you know? The will to just keep going, and I respect you for it, but that on its own won’t keep you on your feet forever. We’ve all seen tough times, and we all need a shoulder to lean on. I’ve got Alphys, she’s got me, Toriel’s got you, and you, Frisk? You’ve got everyone. Remember that.” Then she walked away.

 

“she’s right, you know.” They looked a bit more receptive to advice at that moment. “i mean, even if he can’t remember everything, i’ve still got my bro looking out for me. and considering what you saw some other me do, that should say a lot. you don’t like being a burden, i get that, but listen when i say that you could never be just a burden to any of us. someone says otherwise and they’ll have one angry skeleton on their tail. if tori doesn’t singe it off first.” That made them giggle a bit. Mission accomplished, Sans.

 

“i’m gonna go check on her. undyne’ll be right out here if you need something.” I was just about out the door when they called back. It was soft, but still welcome.

 

“Hope her recovery isn’t too _sluggish._ ” They were getting worse by the day. I loved it. Well, no time like the present. Much as I liked the idea of a joking off (like slacking off but more funny), the kid would want to hear how she was.

 

-

 

Knock, knock. A pause.

 

“Who’s there?” The voice was a bit older than I expected, but okay.

 

“pat.”

 

“Pat who?” The joy in that tone knew what was coming.

 

“hey, no need to spit at me!” I heard the old man’s cackling loud and clear. Gerson was always a good audience.

 

“Come on in, baby bones,” he said, opening the door.

 

“baby bones?” I couldn’t resist. “You still have your skin, don’t ya?”

 

“Barely, I think.” He was a bit more quiet now. “Try to keep the noise down. She just found something kinda hard to chew.” That didn’t sound good. I came in and saw that she, physically, was pretty good. Relatively speaking at least.

 

There was a bandage around her head and her right arm. Apparently, that’s where she took a bomb blast for Frisk. She meant what she said about protecting them. Other than that, the only big things were her casted up leg (with accompanying crutch) and a bit of burnt hair. Monster food was a miracle cure for the likes of us.

 

Emotionally, though, she’d seen better days. She wasn’t outright crying, screaming, not even sobbing. No, she was just sitting there with the deepest stare you could imagine. She was a world away with her thoughts. Some paperwork hung lazily from her hands.

 

“Poor girl just heard something she didn’t want to.”

 

“she’s the queen of monsters. she’s stomached the worst our kind can offer. how much lower can ya go?” Didn’t really add up. Gerson, ever the enforcer of hands-on labor, gently pulled the papers from her.

 

“There’s been somethin’ that bothered me from square one with the little’n. Child’s got a heart the size of an ocean and the compassion of a thousand suns. Not that I’m not grateful for all they’ve done, far from it, but I’ve been wondering what would make a kid like that chuck themselves down a pit in a stretch of land people knew kids disappeared in.” He handed me the papers, which I saw were a report of some kind. “Then I read this.”

 

Had to mull over whether or not to read it for a second. It was the kid’s right to a bit of personal space. This, though, refusing help they needed, was too far. I dug right in. It turned out to be a file on Frisk, medical records and the like. Started with mostly basic stuff. Name, Frisk Hues. Age, twelve. Height, bit over four feet. Gender…

 

Yeah, that seemed about right. Still, they were comfy enough with nongendered pronouns. I chose to just stick with ‘em. Okay, parents, Ray and Aurora Hues, died October tenth, 2014…

 

…oh.

 

According to the document, Frisk was set up at some orphanage, Sunnyside, where they were given intense psychiatric care. I was almost afraid to ask what exactly made them need that kind of treatment. Dead parent were a real bad sign, but what pushed it over that particular edge? There was a newspaper clipping stapled onto the main sheet.

 

Disaster Strikes. Fire Breaks Out in Small Neighborhood, Two Dead.

 

What. The Hell. Was I reading?

 

_A fire occurred earlier this week in a rural town that wishes to remain unnamed._

_The cause is currently under investigation. Fortunately, only two victims were found. A_

_single survivor, who authorities say is the child of the victims, was pulled from the_

_burning wreckage. They escaped with minimal injuries, but…_

 

Oh God. I felt like I wanted to puke. Good thing I didn’t have a stomach. I could take being the center of catastrophe, got used to it over the years what with time flipping out, but Frisk? They were too nice. And that bomber almost…

 

That was the last straw. If he ever showed his face in our town again, he’d better be ready to lose it. Tori knew what I found and just started this weird chuckle. She sounded a feather’s push from falling over.

 

“It is almost funny, isn’t it? I have always been burdened with the weight of my little ones’ dust, and they are under the same weight. I promised to protect them twice now. Not only did I fail both times, I almost duplicated their nightmare just to avoid my own. For a teacher, I certainly am an idiot.” That tone with that voice just didn’t match up. **At all.**

 

“tori, you’re the farthest person from that definition that i’ve ever met. would an idiot care enough about their family to rightly call out a member for being a bone head? would an idiot really take a hit they could get through for someone who couldn’t? would an idiot appreciate their kid as much as you do? no. no they wouldn’t. a good mother would.” I grabbed her good shoulder.

 

“you’re that good mother. and right now your kid’s falling apart over there, tearing themselves down with guilt. they need you, now more than ever, so don’t go losing your head. leave voluntary dismemberment to someone who can put themselves back together.” I pulled off my arm, waggling a finger at her to drive the point home. “capiche?” She answered with an honest-to-goodness laugh. Man I was missing that.

 

“Thank you, Sans. One way or another, you always know what to say. If what you say now is true, I am needed by Frisk’s side. Could you help me get there?” It was pretty common knowledge that I could get to places real quick. No one knew how, but it was still pretty annoying sometimes. That moment was one of the few I really didn’t mind it.

 

“sure.” Gerson chose then to speak up with a pretty wily old person smile.

 

“The docs probably won’t take you gettin’ up so soon well.” We all knew he didn’t really mind.

 

“Then they will just have to take it up with me later.” If looks could kill, then her’s was lazily twirling that knife moms carry around for when someone gets between them and their kid. Gerson just cackled again.

 

“Well said, friend! I’ll just stick here, maybe take a nap, tell ‘em where ya went when they show up.” She gave him a grateful smile and bow.

 

“time to go. hey, could you two…” They already had hands over their eyes.

 

“Go ahead, sonny. We know how this works. Kinda.” For a turtle, the dude was quick. Made my job easier. One flick of the atoms and we were off.

 

-

 

We popped back into existence just outside of the kid’s room. No need to scare the daylights out of ‘em. Tori was adjusting her crutch so she didn’t look too weak going in. Smart. A nod when she was done and I went on in. Frisk was still sitting there, but they looked a bit more calm. Just a bit though. Undyne was in the chair next to them.

 

“Mom okay?” Sad tone, bad. Big heart, good. Better than nothing, I guessed.

 

“yeah, she’s fine. gerson was talking with her when she found something kind of important.”

 

“Was?” Kid was real good at spotting sketchy wording. Probably cause they used so few that they had to be good to get by. I stepped aside and let her in. Kid looked halfway between absolute joy and complete meltdown. If I had a heart, it would have been stinging. Undyne jumped out of her chair.

 

No, literally jumped. She was an inch from hitting the ceiling.

 

“Toriel! You shouldn’t be outta bed yet. Here, have a seat.” She found Undyne’s antics amusing.

 

“I would have been fine, you know, but since you insist.” She took her sweet time settling in, holding back as many winces as she could. Envy was the last thing on my mind. When she was down, she immediately started running her hand through the kid’s hair. Didn’t really get it, skeleton, you know, but the hair thing was apparently really relaxing. Kid needed it.

 

“I hear that something has been troubling you. You know you can trust me.” I could just about feel Frisk’s tension spike.

 

“I was scary.”

 

“I know, but we can all be when we are defending something we love. We should know that better than anyone.” What did I just say about the tearing yourself down thing? “But that is not exactly what I meant. I meant something a touch more, personal.” She pulled out that stack of papers, flipping to the news story. Kid locked up after reading the title.

 

“Did this all remind you of something else, from before the Underground?” Frisk was holding back a floodgate. They curled up in a ball and started shaking. One second later and Undyne and I would’ve been dragging them into a hug whether they wanted it or not. Tori beat us to it with a hand on their shoulder.

 

“Child, I realize now that I have been at fault for quite some time. I assumed that, as someone so young, you would be helpless without a guiding hand. That you needed someone there watching over you. I applied the loss of Asriel and Chara as a sort of fuel, driving me to protect you. What I didn’t realize is that as much as I wanted to defend you, you wanted to save me even more. Now that I know, I have come to a new conclusion.” She closed in, the most heart shattering, wavering smile on her face. She looked like she wanted to cry.

 

“From this day on, instead of this being a one sided defense, we both watch out for each other. I do not intend on losing you, and you do not want to lose me. Let us use that to our advantage. Let me in, and I promise to care for myself as much as I care for you, okay? I am not going anywhere on you.” The tears started rolling, and she wasn’t the only one. Undyne found it as touching as the rest of us. Frisk, naturally, couldn’t hold out long.

 

Kid broke down, zipping into her arms so quick I swear they busted the sound barrier. They let loose everything, crying as hard as they could into her shoulder. With the tears came a waterfall of words, everything they had been hiding behind lock and key from all of us, everything they didn’t want to say.

 

They finally let us in.

 

-

 

_You were at home, eating dinner. A lovely ham. Dad was reading his newspaper,_ _and Mom was putting the final touches on dessert, apple pie with a pinch of cinnamon. It_ _smelled delicious._

 

_“Frisk, honey, could you help me?”_

 

_“Coming, Mom!” You rushed down your last bit of ham before running over to the_ _oven. You knew the drill, set the oven to 350 degrees and open the swinging door. This_ _close to the incomplete baked good, you found that it smelled even better than usual._ _You knew it would be a good treat. You told her so._

 

_“Anything for my little genius.” She pulled you into a hug, her long, brown hair_ _curtaining around your own._

 

_“Straight A’s deserve a little something special every now and then,” Dad added,_ _now standing over you and rustling your hair. “What say we go watch some tv and wait_ _for that pie?” You liked that idea. Mom did, too, reaching to turn up the oven’s heat a_ _little more._

 

_You sniffed the air again, taking in the aroma, but found something odd in the_ _mix. It took you a minute to pick it out of the group, but recognized it moments after. Dad_ _noticed it, too._

 

_“Is that… gasoline?” You listened closely, a strange hiss filling the air behind the_ _oven. “Must be a leak. Here, I’ll patch it up.” He started sliding the device out from its_ _corner, exposing a small tube with a handful of chew marks. It must have been mice._ _“You might want to pull the pie out for a sec, dear.”_

 

_She didn’t take long to respond, opening the door again. As she slid out of the_ _way, you saw something loose inside the box. It looked like a mouse had chewed some_ _wires open, too. Wait, it was sparking. Didn’t gasoline react with electricity?_

 

_“Get back!” Your warning went unheeded. Not by choice, though. They didn’t_ _have the time to back up. The gas in the air ignited, catching both of them in the fire._ _“Mom, Dad!” You tried pulling them back, but didn’t get the chance. The fire had trailed_ _back to the store of liquid gas in the oven, exploding. You were thrown back by the_ _blast._

 

_Pain filled your body. Your lungs struggled to keep a steady flow of oxygen. The_ _air was hot, nearly burning. It was very close to doing just that. The house around you_ _began to fall prey to fire. Through the daze, you tried finding your parents. You found_ _them, but not in the way you wanted._

 

_They were across the room, coughing and struggling for air. Their skin was red,_ _singed in places. You felt sick to your stomach. You tried moving to them, but didn’t_ _have the strength. All you got for your efforts was a string of coughs, almost forcing your_ _dinner back up. It hurt too much to move._

 

_“Mommy, Daddy, why?” This was supposed to be a good day. You were being_ _rewarded for hard work, praised for going as far as you could. What sort of reward was_ _this?_

 

_You heard a cacophony of voices behind the walls. People were here to help._ _That was good, you were afraid they wouldn’t get here in time. You yelled as loud as_ _you could, trying to get their attention. It worked, heavy boots thudding on the stairs_ _behind you._

 

_The ceiling above you began to crack, caving in on itself. You were safe, under o_ _ne of the few remaining stable points of the structure. Your parents, though, were not_ _as lucky. Just as the firefighters entered the room, the ceiling fell on top of your parents._ _They were buried without so much as a whimper. It was the last you would see of them._

 

_“Mom! Dad!” You tried crawling for them. You didn’t want them to leave. You_ _didn’t want to be alone. The rescuers wouldn’t let you. They dragged you from the_ _building, kicking and screaming. “Please! Put me back! We have to save them!”_

 

_“You think I like doing this, kid? Your rescuer pulled off his mask as you cleared_ _the danger zone. He looked you in the eye, pity lining his expression. “It’s too late for_ _them. I’m sorry.”_

 

_-_

 

_You sat tucked away in the corner, reading a book. Sunnyside wasn’t a bad_ _place. Not in the least, but it wasn’t home. The kids were never nice, never played with_ _you. You were too quiet for them. Every time you tried to talk, the words would wither in_ _your lungs. Your mind was in no state for even that._

 

_“Hey guys, did you hear the story?”_

 

_“Which one?” The kids nearby always listened to old myths and the like. What_ _they heard stopped surprising you after a while._

 

_“The one about Mt. Ebott.”_

 

_“That creepy mountain where people keep disappearing?” This was starting to_ _sound interesting._

 

_“What are you talking about? No one’s gone missing lately.”_

 

_“That’s because all the adults scare kids away with the story. They say anyone_ _who goes up there vanishes, never to be seen again. They’re just gone.”_

 

_The rest of their conversation became white noise as your gears began to turn. A_ _place where people vanished? Maybe you could find what you lost there. Maybe, just_ _maybe…_

 

_…you could feel like yourself again._

 

_-_

 

_It wasn’t easy to escape Sunnyside. Ever since the psychiatrist found something_ _wrong with you, they had been watching you closely. However, it was equally difficult to_ _hold someone back when they knew how to get things done. A few packs of gummy_ _candies were enough to convince one of the younger kids to distract the night watcher_ _with a potty break. Thanks for the help, friend._

 

_With the last of your week’s allowance, you bought a bus pass to the country_ _side. The driver was cautious at first, but a quick explanation of coming back from an_ _errand for your sick parents convinced them to let you on. Death counted as a sickness,_ _right? Still, the dishonesty hurt you a little inside. It would all be worth it, though._

 

_The source of the rumors rose above you. In the months since you heard about_ _Mt. Ebott and planned your escape, the stories had only become more grand. They_ _said the victims were all killed by plant life gone wild. They said they were pulled down a_ _pit by something beyond human understanding. They said monsters dwelled upon the_ _mountain._

 

_There was only one way to find out if they were right._

 

_Mt. Ebott was so close you could feel its aura. It was both foreboding and, oddly,_ _serene. It was an overseer to land deemed unsafe ages ago, but bore no ill will of its_ _own. As the bus zoomed away in the distance, you began your trek up its slopes._

 

_Miles passed with none of the oddities you had heard of. Perhaps this was a_ _wasted effort on your part? Maybe there was nothing here for you after all…_

 

_Just as you lost hope, you reached the mountain’s peak. A large chasm opened_ _in front of you, its dark bottom well past your view. You stood at the edge of the abyss,_ _staring into its depths. It stared into you as well, memories welling up._

 

_Your heart rate slowed as the smell of pie returned. A smile grew as the taste of_ _ham once more graced your tongue. Down there you saw your old life, reaching up for_ _you. A tear trailed down your cheek. Your hard work and planning was worthwhile after_ _all._

 

_“Frisk, honey, could you help me?”_

 

_“Coming, Mom…” You took a step forward, swallowing the lump in your throat, as_ _your footing disappeared. The light above you began to dim, your world falling into the_ _black. Home was waiting._

 

-

 

You eventually ran out of things to say, though the tears seemed endless. Even Mom had too many, the excess running down your back. You didn’t mind so long as she didn’t mind your own staining her clothes. You didn’t dare open your eyes, but you heard Undyne sniffling from her side of the room. Sans was dead quiet.

 

“My child, I never knew…” Mom was just as choked up as you.

 

“frisk.” You felt a boney hand on your shoulder. “those kids didn’t know what they were missing out on. wherever they are, i know your parents are proud.” You tugged his sleeve, pulling him into the hug. He didn’t hesitate.

 

“That’s it, come here, punk!” Undyne pulled all of you into a hug of her own.

 

“heh, nice bear-icuda hug you’ve got there.” He really did like that pun after all. You were happy you told him. Actually, you just felt good all around. It was like a certain weight had been lifted from your Soul.

 

“Frisk, my child, I promise be to there for you for as long as I can. Now, when we recover, how do you feel about receiving that apple cinnamon pie you worked so hard for?” You curled further into her embrace. You really liked that idea.

 

-

 

The hillside was calm that day, an atmosphere strengthened by the setting sun. The smell of cinnamon graced your nose. A single plate sat in front of you, two pieces of pie on it. A foot past it was a single stone slab.

 

**Here lie Ray and Aurora Hues, loving parents and dearly beloved members** **of our community.**

 

Mom stood beside you, a sad smile on her face. She was happy to finally meet the ones responsible for raising you so well, yet sorrowful that it had to be like this. You stayed like that for several minutes, resting on your knees.

 

You had plenty of time to mourn them. Now, though, it was time to move on. They would always be there in spirit, you knew, watching from afar. You were determined to make them proud.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know all those stories that say Frisk's parents were abusive to them? Yeah, so do I. Don't particularly mind them (Tsukithewolf's little series is my favorite Undertale thing on this site), but there's no way I'll be number eight squillion to use that idea.
> 
> Also, Frisk nominated for cutest Phoenix.


	12. Lazy Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After such a stressful ordeal, there's nothing like kicking back and chilling out. Who better to chill with than Sans?

Breathe in. Tense. Breathe out. Relax. Rinse and repeat to the sound of the music. This was your morning routine since the day your past came to light. Though everyone knew you were far more stable than the you that took that fateful dive, the signs of remaining effects were all too obvious. Your panic attacks didn’t exactly inspire faith in your mental health.

 

As such, Napstablook sent over a few new tracks he had been working on. His research into synthetic music found a breakthrough. He believed certain frequencies, interwoven with calming music, could help relieve a mind of its troubles, though he stressed that it was all theoretical and that you would need a healthy social life to completely recover anyway.

 

Well, it was a theory you were glad to confirm. Ever since you started this ritual, you felt more at ease. Combining it with the Blook family tradition of laying on the floor and clearing your mind proved even more effective. You still had a long way to go, but you were definitely on the right path.

 

Your reverie was broken by a tug on your arm. Your eyes opened to see that Sans had invited himself in, as he had every Saturday for the last three weeks. Asgore was happy to leave his home open to visitors at all hours, though he would likely need to rethink that philosophy so long as you and Mom were staying over. It would still be a while before your own home was rebuilt and both of you had been jumpy since the surprise detonations.

 

Still, you doubted locking doors would stop Sans. If he wanted something done, he would find a way. Good thing he never put his mind to nefarious deeds. You took off your headphones, already suspecting what he would ask.

 

“ready to head out, kid?” You nodded eagerly. If there was anyone who could help mellow out your nerves, it was Sans. That’s why no one objected to him taking you out on his usual routine on the weekends. For once, Papyrus couldn’t complain about his brother’s lazy ways.

 

On your way out of the house, you passed Mom and Asgore in the kitchen. It came to be expected that you and Sans would be heading out around this time, giving them a good idea of when they should have breakfast ready for you. Today it was omelets with a decent layer of cheese and carefully prepared snail mixed in. The flavor of snail wasn’t all that bad once you got used to it.

 

“smells egg-celent, tori.” Even with your damaged sense of humor, that one was kind of weak. “what? too cheesy?” Okay, that one was pretty good. “oh, good. these bones aren’t slowing down just yet.” And now you had to lean on the wall for support, laughing too hard to stand on your own. Mom was lucky she was sitting, and Asgore simply didn’t get why you liked puns so much.

 

“It’s an acquired taste,” you explained, taking a bite of a particularly large piece of snail. Mom and Sans saw what you did there. Asgore didn’t enjoy being out of the loop with your sense of humor, making him fish for another, less exclusive topic.

 

“So, what is on your schedule today?” he asked.

 

“not all that much. slacking off, joking off, i was thinking grillby’s for lunch. might bug pap later, ’s usually fun.”

 

“Isn’t that a touch mean spirited?”

 

“nah, he knows i don’t mean anything by it. closest we can really get to a sibling brawl.” That was something Asgore understood.

 

“I see, it’s quite hard to fight in the usual sense when you are, uh…” He noticed Mom giving him a death glare. They were doing far better these days, at least able to be friendly with one another, but he still did things every now and then that bothered her. Especially when it came to putting his foot in his mouth. Now you could see why it was always Mom who took care of important matters back in the Underground.

 

“when i’m fragile, no need to get so touchy about it.” He seemed more amused by the scene than anything. “you really think saying the obvious’ll kill my pride? i’m a joker, not a fighter. no biggie.”

 

You wanted to giggle nervously at his act, but held back for his sake. Everyone knew about his teleportation to an extent, but he made it clear that he wanted his combat abilities under wraps as long as possible. The less people that knew, the less chance that the first person he was forced to fight would see it coming. Besides, if everyone knew he was strong, they would try to make him use that strength more actively. And that just didn’t fly in his book.

 

“well, we’d best be off. slacking is real hard work, you know.” And with that, your day began. First item on the agenda, random wandering about.

 

-

 

The first snowfall of the season hit while you were in the hospital. As such, you missed the first wave of kids excitedly running out to play. The joy was still in the air, though, and Sans knew just how to make use of the powdery white ice crystals.

 

You were both up in a tree, branches filled to the brim with snow, overlooking a snowball fight. On the far side, Brutus, Lansot, and Temmie were rushing to set up cover. Well, Brutus and Lansot were anyway. Temmie was just sort of vibrating out in the open, jittering from side to side. It did draw most of their opponents’ fire, though, supplying the others plenty of time to finish their work.

 

Beneath you was a trio composed of Froggit, Vulkin, and Furette. They were a well oiled machine. Froggit was putting huge piles of snow together, Vulkin following closely behind to solidify them into walls of ice with tactical steam application. Furette was using her patented ear fling maneuver, hurling volleys of snowballs at a time. They were completely fortified from and ready to counterattack strikes from the front.

 

Their top, however, was completely exposed.

 

Using his fingers to ensure silence, Sans issued a countdown. You had one hand placed on the tree’s central mass, waiting for the signal. Three, two, one…

 

Thumbs up, your signal. A small wave of electricity pulsed through the tree, vibrating it oh so subtly. All the snow on it shook loose, falling atop the unsuspecting trio’s heads. They were buried in moments.

 

“bullseye.” The spited team made him eat those words, as well as a good pint of snow, as they targeted us instead. We were well out of range of an ear fling, but Furette’s manual throw was as powerful as ever. “time to retreat.” A flurry of snowballs rained from the far side.

 

“Brutus cover escape!” Lansot and Brutus had abandoned base construction in favor of assisting their allies. Your assailants ducked for cover behind their great ice walls, but soon found them useless due to holes dug in the structure. It seemed the little cat had more than enough de _temmie_ nation to dig through solid ice. She was back to vibrating in center field before you could blink.

 

Sans took the lack of attention pointed your way as his chance to warp. Climbing trees simply wasn’t safe, you know.

 

-

 

Waiting for the right timing in that trap was exhausting work. Fortunately for you, Sans decided it was time for a stop at Grillby’s. He had been doing quite well on the surface, running the main hangout in Ebott village. He even earned enough to hire an assistant to handle the drinks.

 

As you were about to enter, though, a sensation of dread rolled down your spine. Heavy footsteps pounded the ground behind you. Something fell on your shoulder, a white fluid you recognized as stage one happiness froth. And just like that, the dread was replaced by happiness.

 

You turned around to find Endogeny, using its loose form to lean directly overhead. Its tail was wagging erratically. You knew what it wanted, pulling a bag of chisps from your coat. You pulled it open and offered it to your friend. It instantly grabbed the bag and flopped on its back, enjoying the treat. You paused a moment more to scratch where its chin would be before following Sans inside.

 

You were both greeted with the normal energy. You both settled down with the usual, a burger and some ketchup. He didn’t wait to take a swig, you digging right into the sandwich. Bob was over with some water by the time you were half done.

 

A commotion erupted behind you. A glance showed that Knight Knight had fallen asleep on the poker table. Doggo wasn’t taking it well.

 

“Oh man, and just when I got a royal flush! You shouldn’t be that tired with how much you sleep.” You couldn’t help yourself.

 

“She can’t help being dog tired.” Groans filled the air, and more than a few annoyed glares were aimed at Sans.

 

“hey, the pup learned that trick on their own. don’t pick a bone with me, guys.” You knew you heard a snort amidst the disdain.

 

“We’re really in the dog house for that one.” No one could hold back the light laughter anymore. They couldn’t deny the charm of your comedic style. You finished the last of your burger as they got over their giggling.

 

“welp, time to take our shin-nanigans elsewhere, kid.” Ah, the beautiful sound of laughter. If the whole ambassador gig didn’t last forever, you wouldn’t mind taking a crack at standup comedy. Sans liked it enough, so why not?

 

You both casually strolled from the establishment, stopping to scratch behind Endogeny’s ears as it finished its snack.

 

-

 

Alphys and Undyne were both out at the moment, just as they were every Saturday. The latter worked running her gym until four o’ clock, and the former was currently on route to pick her up. They both always had fun on date night, usually meaning they had no problem being out of the lab for at least four hours. It gave you and Sans plenty of time to do the last check on your list.

 

They were much more thorough about protecting their home. Not because of trust issues, mind. Everyone knew how safe the neighborhood was (bar the anti-monster bomber incident which in turn kicked the local guard into high gear), but Alphys was always running experiments of some variety. She just didn’t want anyone getting caught up in anything poor for their health.

 

It took more than some heavily locked steel doors and hand scanners to stop Sans, though. Especially considering he could just blink himself and whoever he wanted to right past them. You were in the arena control booth before you could say ‘open sesame.’

 

“sure you’re ready?” You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded, prompting him to start hitting buttons on the panel in front of him. You found your way to the stairs leading into the main pit, leisurely making your way down them.

 

The corridor opened up to a brilliant yellow glow. The marble pillars lining the hall seemed almost golden in the lighting, creating an awe inspiring atmosphere. It was only supported by the fancy windows alternating between columns. At the far end, a lone figure stood. His attention was unwaveringly locked to you.

 

“it’s a beautiful day outside,” he began. The air grew heavy. “birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like these, kids like you…” He opened his sockets to reveal the voids beneath them. They stared through your very being, laying all your sins bare for those who wished to see.

 

“SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL.” Bones erupted from every surface within five feet of you. All you could do was run, diving and jumping as he manually threw handfuls of projectiles at you. Only two things comforted you here. One, you knew it would only take one hit to end this fight in your favor.

 

Two, you had found some new tricks since your last encounter. Lightning sparked from the ends of you limbs, increasing your speed and agility. Before you could get close enough to strike, Sans’s left eye burst into blue flames, signaling his full potential. He threw his hand left, slamming you into a pillar.

 

You were prepared, bracing against the impact, digging your fingers into the marble. It allowed you to stay rooted as he sent gravity for a spin around the room. At the first sign of bones under you, you allowed yourself to fall with gravity, running as they trailed behind you.

 

The kiddie gloves came off as Sans summoned a blaster. The demonic skull was wreathed in its own power, presenting itself as a major threat despite being no bigger than its wielder. It laughed maniacally as it leased its payload, a rapid stream of pure magical energy following your path.

 

You were faster than it, easily keeping pace between dodging bones. A second blaster phased in directly in front of you, forcing you to sidestep and duck behind a pillar. The wayward blast cleaved the opposing blaster in two, leaving only one to threaten you. It didn’t remain that way for long, a veritable swarm of the machines screaming from the ether.

 

On and on this cycle went. You lost track of time, trying to close the distance as destruction rose around you. Eventually, the chaos had to end. He couldn’t keep you far away forever. Sans stood his ground, magic growing closer to your heels as you grew closer to him. You had only a split second to attack before being pulverized by a hailstorm of bones.

 

You reached deep into your pockets, grabbing your weapon of choice. It felt heavy in your hand. You unsheathed it, lining your arc for your opponent’s head. It entered your line of sight, colliding with the top of Sans’s skull.

 

The stick dully thudded off its target, leaving nothing but a small fragment of itself behind. Like the snooze button on a morning alarm, the hit triggered all the noise to simmer down. When you looked back, the corridor was empty, the great marble columns devastated by a now unseen force. Your exhausted frame dropped, though Sans caught you before you could tumble to the floor.

 

“gettin better every week, pal.” He rustled your hair. “no signs of chara yet. you’re clean.” That was a relief. Every day since you lost control, you had feared that Chara would crop up again, wrenching control away to terrorize those you loved. You knew they would if given the chance, and it was the scariest bit of insight you had.

 

You also knew that there was one person who was more intimate with the signs of their corruption than anyone, Sans. By simulating that duel lost to time, he could pick out any residual signs of the demon child before they got too big to control. The idea of just blowing you away should they emerge troubled him deeply, a feeling you could only relieve by letting him show you a real fun day beforehand. Seeing as you were still around, he had yet to find any evidence towards your worst fears.

 

You were glad to have such an understanding, helpful friend.

 

“what say we head back to my place, rest up a bit before getting you home?” Even if it was mostly so Mom didn’t freak out upon seeing you drained of all strength, those cool down sessions spent napping on Sans’s sofa were always relaxing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And you thought it was going to be a cool down chapter, ha! I love me a good curve ball.  
> Also, I have, indeed, fixed the formatting issue. I have the first five chapters all patched up, but the others could be a while longer. Just got my hands on that new Xenoblade game and, well, it kind of has all my attention.


	13. Devil's Advocate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The littlest rosebud, lost to time, sometimes knows the most.

The hollow corridors whistled with the wind. These halls, devoid of sunlight, echoed of loneliness. You couldn’t help but feel pity for anyone who remained as the Underground went empty. All life left this place months ago.

 

Well, all but one. You shifted your backpack, adjusting the weight on your spine. Not too heavy, but it was certainly awkward on your tiny frame, especially since your body still sagged from that Chara check with Sans. Maybe you should have taken Brutus’s offer to help.

 

You leaned on the purple brick walls for rest. You knew you were close, but it wouldn’t be polite to show up short on breath. A voice resonated from deeper within, seemingly ignorant to your presence.

 

“Wonder what they’re up to now?” it pondered. “Heh, maybe some sort of tea party. Yeah, that sounds like something the idiot would do.” The tone shifted into a close mimic of your own, though it was a touch more… echoey, for lack of better term.

 

“Mommy, could you pass the sugar?” Then it became that of the caprine in question.

 

“Of course, my child. One lump or two?” The voice turned back to its basic state, giggling emptily.

 

“Oh, lumps. I’ll give them lumps, all right.”

 

“One or two?” You entered the almost pitch black room. In the single beam of light filtering down from above, a golden flower was illuminated. His face was confused at first, but traded it for that familiar smug amusement.

 

“I said ‘lumps,’ as in plural. That means two or more! Idiot.”

 

“So, two or three?” Undyne’s magic skills weren’t the only things slowly rubbing off. You had been getting more and more confident in your speech as well. That might also be thanks to Blooky’s techno remedy. The guy could really make a bundle as a therapist on the side.

 

“Ugh, great. Now the idiot’s snarky. That’s my thing!” You weren’t sure if you should feel guilty for the laugh that followed. “What are you doing down here anyway? Did you really miss me teasing you that much?” His grin dropped as a new thought emerged.

 

“Wait, you thought you would find him down here, didn’t you?” He tried putting up his evil face, but you could tell it was kind of token at this point. “Sorry to disappoint, but the goat’s out of commission for good this time. You’re stuck with me, Flowey, whether you like it or…” You cut him off with a wave of the hand.

 

“No, just though I’d get you something. It’s too quiet down here.” You carefully set your pack on the ground. You reached up to the zipper and opened it. From inside, you pulled out a relatively small generator, adorned with both a crank and solar panels. Since neither man power or solar energy were in high supply down here, you thought both working in tandem would suffice.

 

You reached back in, retrieving the last object, a moderately sized television with an antenna poking up. Kind of outdated in look, but you already had its strength tested. It would work. You hooked the devices together and turned the handle. As power flowed, the TV turned on, displaying one of the more popular game shows of the time.

 

“Thought you would like something to do. I mean, you don’t really get out much, so…” You shrugged, hoping your explanation made sense.

 

“What is this, some sort of pity? I don’t take pity from little idiots like you.” You shook your head, thoroughly expecting the rejection. “So it’s a bribe then? Okay, what do you need? Wait, let me guess! Someone finally ticked you off enough to lose your cool and now you need someone with actual guts to kill them!” You shook again, though the proximity to certain events was a bit disconcerting.

 

“Just being nice. That’s all. No pity, no favors, just me being me.” The genuine kindness disgusted him, but it didn’t stop him from turning the crank to watch the show more. He seemed fully absorbed, removing you from his mind.

 

You didn’t mind. At least he liked the gift. You quietly excused yourself, making for the exit. His voice nonchalantly followed you.

 

“LOVE is a real interesting thing, isn’t it?” The emphasis he put on that word instantly clarified which LOVE he meant. “A measure of pain, and the emotions that come with it. As durable as any of us in the end. Never goes away, no matter how long you wait. Just look at how many timelines I’ve carried mine around for. Oh, but you shouldn’t worry about that. I mean, it’s not like you _ever_ killed anyone, right?”

 

Shock overtook your system. You turned, putting all your focus onto him. Flowey was just sitting there, watching his show. It was as though he never even said something. If it was true, then…

 

Pieces started falling into place. You had to tell Sans, or at least see if he could verify it. First, though…

 

“Thank you, Flowey.” You turned and ran, knowing he wouldn’t acknowledge you. His motives were unclear at this point, but this little scrap of information was the only lead you had. You just hoped it wouldn’t lead to Omega Flowey round two and hurried along.

 

-

 

It was a pretty good day so far. I was lounging about on the sofa down in the lab, bouncing around the idea of dismantling the Enabler. On one hand, it was one of only two links we had to Gaster. On the other, it almost took my best pal. Decisions, decisions.

 

Meh, I’d keep it a bit longer. I was in a real good mood from not having to deal with Not Frisk for another week or so. There was another thing to consider, telling someone else about the whole Chara thing. No one too directly involved, mind. Probably just Alphys if anyone. She could help out somehow, genius and all, plus I knew from experience she could keep something important quiet.

 

Meh, too lazy to go behind anyone’s back at that moment. Maybe see how Frisk liked the idea first. Speaking of the anti-devil, I heard a light set of footsteps on the stairs which had to be them. Only they had keys for this place on hand. And by keys I mean the ability to see the door without help. Minor special distorting was real handy for a guy with secrets.

 

They came into view breathing kinda heavy. I was about to wisecrack about it, but something in their eyes stopped me. That weird weight that always dropped on them when time shenanigans cropped up.

 

The day was about to get a whole lot less chill, wasn’t it?

 

“‘sup, kid? midday vision mess with you or something?” They shook their head. Guess I should have figured. They’d shoot me a message over the phone if that were the case, and make sure I hit everyone else involved first. Not the most glamorous of jobs, but it did lead to a few good morning chats over the last however long it’d been happening.

 

“You know how to measure someone’s LOVE, right?” Oh shin-gles. And just like that, the atmosphere got ten times as heavy. That was one of those things we blocked up with red tape for all but the worst of situations, mostly because it would always bring back thoughts of that judgment hall and the stuff less savory versions of the kid and I did there. The instincts said to lighten the mood.

 

“kid, it doesn’t take a genius to tell how much you care about people.” A quick little spark lit up their eyes, but it didn’t last too long.

 

“You know what I mean.” No holding back. Must have been pretty bad.

 

“yeah, i can do that. you want me to check ya?” They nodded. Okay, let’s get this over with. I started circulating the magic in my skull. A bit of power applied correctly to the eye sockets could do all sorts of things for my sense of sight. When I felt the glow brighten a bit, I knew I was ready.

 

I looked as close as I could at Frisk, waiting for a sign. A minute passed, and there was absolutely nothing. That was a relief. I sighed, wiping a bit of sweat from the top of my head. When my hand went by, I couldn’t help but notice the healthy amount of red mist rolling off it.

 

Yeah, that’s what LOVE looked like. The bigger the number, the thicker the mist. An erased version of you that you didn’t disagree with killing the same person over and over again tended to carry over. Didn’t do jack for my durability, but that made it easier to hide the score.

 

“yeah, not seeing anything here. what’s the matter?” I could just see the gears turning in that head. Frisk could be real creative when they needed to be. They spared a bit of think time to answer me.

 

“I heard something about LOVE from an… acquaintance and wanted to try something.” Acquaintance? Not a friend? There was someone not even Frisk would call a friend? Okay, who was this guy, how did he know about timeline stuff, and how could he be too horrible for Frisk to befriend?

 

Actually, on second thought, I realized that the last answer there could be downright revolting. Might’ve been for the best if I didn’t find out. My thinking was cut short by the kid finishing theirs.

 

“Sans, I’m going to try linking up to a vision. Could you see if anything changes?” I nodded, my scientific side curious. Of course, the rest of me was more nervous than anything. I really hated this kind of stress.

 

They took a seat by me on the couch, entering an almost meditative state. They practically perfected diving back into their memories like that. It helped them note all the little things, learn from an erased history. At least that’s what they said it did, and I’m inclined to trust them.

 

Suddenly, the air became almost suffocating. I was lucky breathing was an optional thing for skeletons because doing so in this environment was nearly impossible. Their face twitched slightly, a sign something bad just happened out in the dreamscape.

 

My magic was clenching when the red mist started. It was just a small trickle at first, a surprising revelation at best, but then it started cascading down in waves. The air around them was flooded by the stuff to the point where I could barely see them in it.

 

A headache swiped the last bit of reason I was clutching to. This was horrible, unspeakably terrifying. I had only ever known one being to have a sizable stock of hatred built, but that omnicidal pipsqueak paled in comparison. It was an army of Chara’s worth in one body, and it was only growing as time went on.

 

Instinct conquered logical thought, springing me to my feet. I had to be ready. One slip up and I would be a dead monster, shuffling away behind a pillar so they didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing me collapse.

 

Then it sort of ended. The mist retracted, vanishing back into the kid’s body. It was like there wasn’t anything wrong at all, just Frisk sitting on the couch. They opened their eyes, and nearly flipped over it backwards after seeing me. They were shaking in place, staring pointedly at my left eye.

 

“Sans, what’s wrong?” I could hear their heart hammering. Keep it together, boney boy. This wasn’t some heartless demon coming straight from the pits to annihilate everything. It wasn’t the ghost of a serial murderer here for revenge. It was just Frisk.

 

Who I just scared right out of their skin. If Tori were there, I wouldn’t be here now to talk about it. I’d be twelve feet under. In the Ruins. And chained there. She was thorough like that. I had to wake up, shaking the blue fire out from my socket. I needed a grip.

 

“well, i think i know where you got the frenzy from.” They were both relieved and devastated to hear that. I wasn’t sure which was more prevalent. There went my lazy day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, guess what? Flowey's incredibly fun to write! Who's surprised? No one? Yeah, thought not.


	14. Burden of Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, even a scientist can learn too much.

_The air grew heavy as the creature approached. Perhaps, in a different lighting, I_ _could be convinced it was human. As it was, though, the being staring me down could_ _have been a demon. Its eyes glowed red, and my handheld sensors detected a pair of_ _strange energies rolling off of it._

 

_It stopped not ten paces away and slowly clapped. A laugh tore through its_ _twisted mouth. Between its breaths, I heard the footsteps of the last survivors leaving_ _the area. The thanks of a little human girl echoed in my mind as the creature began to_ _speak._

 

_“Man, tracking you was a real challenge, Alphys. Didn’t think I bought Monster_ _Hunter in this bundle. But, once again, the protagonist wins!”_

 

_“Protagonist? What kind of s-s-sicko are you! Protagonists are heroes, pprotectors_ _of the innocent! All you do is murder them!” Tears ran with my memories of_ her, _the spear she left me rattling in my quaking hand._

 

_“Innocence is relative. I’m the main character. You’re all holding me back. That_ _makes you the bad guys. See what I mean? Oh well, no matter. I’ve got full rein to my_ _pick of free EXP as soon as you’re out of the way!” Anger overcame fear._

 

_“Talking about them like they’re just piñatas full of candy. Disregarding their lives,_ _their goals, their right to live. I’m sick of it!” My hand steadied, an unseen force giving_ _me clarity. Undyne, was that you?_

 

_“Back underground, you made us run and hide. We cowered away as you_ _slaughtered everyone outside. I saw every single crime over my cameras, but I couldn’t_ _do anything. Now, though…” The spear glowed blue with a power that wasn’t my own,_ _yet was all too familiar. Thank you. I’m sorry I could never come clean when I had the_ _chance. I’ll make it up to you, here and now._

 

_“I feel their heartbeats. Those behind me, seeking shelter in the storm.” My voice_ _started to ring with an additional, rough tone. “Those who lie scattered in the_ _Underground. My friends who died trying to protect us.” Magic flooded my Soul. My left_ _eye burned, forcing me to close it. The power radiating from the creature became visible_ _to me._

 

_“So long as I stand for what I believe in, with every fiber of my being, my friends_ _will never abandoned me. Isn’t that right?” I swore the spear grew brighter for a_ _moment._

 

_“Oh, blah blah blah!” Its disregard for my newfound knowledge just made me_ _angrier. “If I wanted an annoying soap box, I’d’ve just bought Metal Gear. Get over here_ _and die, already. We both know you aren’t a fighter.” As my crying stopped, a confident_ _grin stretched itself across my face. I was ready to take up your mantle._

 

_“That’s exactly why I’m here. Someone hollow like you wouldn’t understand._ _When you live for someone else, give your all to make sure they’re happy, make sure_ _they’re safe…” I opened my eye, staring it down. Something it saw made it realize just_ _how serious I was._

 

_“You’re prepared to die!” My newfound strength filled the arena. I pressed a few_ _buttons on my wrist mounted controls, activating my turret system. Wide barreled_ _firearms burst from the soil, chain firing buzz saw blades as quickly as I could possibly_ _program them to. This war against a single beast had gone on long enough. If nothing_ _else, I would stall it for as long as I could._

 

_I was determined to succeed._

 

-

 

I shot up, breathing heavily. The dreams were getting worse, leftover adrenaline coursing through my veins. Why would my subconscious create such an awful situation, and why did that thing look so much like…?

 

My circulating thoughts were interrupted by the arm around me sluggishly pulling me backwards. I looked back, finding Undyne’s sleeping form taking comfort in my presence. She must have been having a nightmare, too. I knew better than to try waking her up. We would both be up all night talking about it and not get any sleep. That could wait until morning. For now, though, I needed a drink.

 

I reached to the side of our bed, pulling up a yellow teddy bear in plush pajamas. I slid down at the first sign of her muscles relaxing, making sure the bear was in my place. When Undyne noticed she wasn’t holding me anymore, her arm tightened a bit around the empty air, finding the toy instead. She didn’t mind, snuggling with it just as she would me. If the bear thing hadn’t been my idea for middle of the night escapes in the first place, I might have been jealous. For now, I was just happy to see her resting comfortably.

 

As I descended to the kitchen, I had to stop and double check the living room. A pair of soft glows I didn’t recognize at first illuminated the space a few feet above the couch’s cushions. Realization struck as I saw the rings of bone sprawling just past their reach.

 

“Sans, is that you?” His body became easier to see as his eyes grew a bit brighter, a sign he had been putting all his conscious energy into thinking. It wasn’t too obvious, but his smile was a bit lower than usual. Most would shrug it off, assuming they saw it at all, but those few who he let in his inner circle knew it meant he was under the weather. He knew I knew, so he skipped the usual joke he started conversations with.

 

“hey, alph. having nightmare troubles?” I should have guessed. Whenever I saw stuff like that at night, Sans usually popped up later that day to chat about it. He never showed up at almost midnight, though.

 

“Yeah, it was pretty awful. That thing found where the group was and I…”

 

“hold up.” That was new. He always let me say everything before chipping in. “maybe it’d be better if you talked with someone who saw the same thing. right, frisk?” The blanket pile beside him shifted, falling to reveal a sleepy eyed Frisk. Were they having nightmares, too? If so, it was still hard to believe that part about seeing the same thing. It was a logical improbability considering the infinite space dreams can encompass.

 

“Morning, Alphys.” They sounded surprisingly awake. You would think someone rubbing their eyes like that would sound groggy. Wait, their cheeks were wet. Was Frisk crying? “Pretty crazy fight, right?” That’s what jumbled my wires first. I sat down next to them, rubbing their back.

 

“Frisk, the chances of us having the same exact dream are one in…” They chose that point to completely shut my point down.

 

“Man, tracking you was a real challenge, Alphys. Didn’t think I bought Monster Hunter in this bundle.” My sentence turned into a mess of syllables. How did they…?

 

“Innocence is relative. I’m the main character.” The grin and chuckle they threw in made my stomach flip inside out, though they seemed just as disgusted in themselves for saying it.

 

“when you live for someone else, you’re prepared to die.” Sans, too?

 

“Truer words have never been spoken.” At least they were back to their normal disposition and not that of the fantasy creature in their image we somehow all saw.

 

“too right, pal. almost a shame you had to erase them. almost.” I think my brain almost flatlined after that. My loose jaw showed them exactly what I was thinking. “yeah, we have a lot to talk about. got the time for a little chat?”

 

-

 

I didn’t know how to respond, diverting my attention to the cup of coffee in my hands. I let my eyes drift around a little as my mind tried coming up with something to say. Sans really was talented when he tried. I mean, he remade the DT Enabler chamber from scratch, down to the smallest detail, all without anyone suspecting a thing.

 

The machine was just across the room, sitting completely uncovered. I guess he didn’t have the energy to put the sheet back on, especially considering how it was somehow conspicuously uncovered when Frisk came down here.

 

Speaking of whom, I couldn’t stop my eyes from looking at them every now and then. Their face had been molded into that perfect neutrality that always popped on during combat. I guess they weren’t doing much better than me at the time.

 

As crazy as this was, it did explain a few things. For one, they always flinched a little whenever someone mentioned Chara. I never met them personally, but a lot of monsters would say they were unnerving at best. Even so, no one saw anything that translated to that _thing_ from the dream, er, vision. I guess I’m glad we never crossed paths.

 

Asriel, though, he sounded like a nice kid. Now, he was stuck underground as a flower. Heh, and I thought my mistakes all summed up to the Amalgamates and Gaster. No, because of me, an innocent child was locked away in a body they couldn’t stand. I realized how tough it would be to get Undyne’s help with my nerves that time around. It was strictly between the three of us for the time being.

 

“How’s Asr… I mean, Flowey these days?” Please be good, please be good…

 

“I think he’s alright.” Frisk sounded kind of drained. They were looking down at the little table in the middle of the break area. Hey, he even got that little chip on its corner right…

 

Focus, Alphys. You can’t push this off, too.

 

“I gave him a TV earlier, and he was still around. He was talking to himself about how dumb I am until he noticed me.” I saw a hairline fracture on their mask. Their eyes slid open the barest fraction of an inch. “At least I could help him that much.”

 

That look, I knew it well. Every day for years, I saw the same thing looking back in the mirror. It was guilt. I thought it was just me holding so much back. Frisk never showed a hint of it before. They’d done so much for monsters since day one, made us all so happy. If it weren’t for them, Undyne and I would still just be good friends, nothing more.

 

They made us happy, gave us hope, but they were anything but. Even before the Underground, they had to live through seeing their parents die right in front of them. Now, even though they had Toriel and all of us, they couldn’t relax. Thanks to Chara, they couldn’t look at us without remembering the dust they spilled. On top of it all, they wouldn’t forgive themselves for leaving Asriel behind.

 

Well, I could. I think I knew what to say. Just don’t screw it up.

 

“Frisk.” The mask was back on, looking at me as passively as they could. “Do you remember back in Hotland, when we met? Even though you didn’t know a thing about me, you accepted me with open arms. You haven’t wavered once since then. Even after seeing how I was spying on you, even after finding out I was tricking you, even after discovering the Amalgamates, you still wanted to be my friend.”

 

“You accepted me for who I am, baggage and all, as your friend. You forgave me, so now it’s time I finally payed you back for it. I’m with you through thick and thin, and I don’t plan on screwing up a third time.” Wow, was that what it was like being on the other end of a support talk? It was bracing!

 

I guess I wasn’t too far off the mark, either. The mask fell of entirely, Frisk sagging over, a small smile crossing their face. It was like I just plucked a heavy weight off their shoulders and they couldn’t bear to stand on their own anymore.

 

“Thank you…” Their voice was kind of husky, tired. Sans stood up, creaking his joints. He looked a bit happier, too, though not nearly as drained.

 

“well, that takes care of that. what say we get you back to bed before tori sees you’re missing? she’d have my head on the wall for this, and i like being able to gesture when i crack jokes, thanks.” Frisk didn’t have the strength to argue, drooping against him as he prepped his warp.

 

“thanks for understanding, alph. be back in a sec.” Their bodies started fizzing an off grey, particles pulling in two directions. It was kind of headache inducing, but I had seen… worse. I imagine it would be more painful for the uninitiated. No wonder he made them cover their eyes. Pretty sure a seizure warning would be needed.

 

Their atoms flung back together, bouncing off of one another and into thin air. I had to blink a few times to get rid of the afterimage. Alone again, I realized just how exhausted I was. Being supportive was hard work. I saw why Sans was so lazy after all the nightmare help. I took a deep draw on my mug, considering saving a bit for him. Oh, wait, that was the last sip. Oops.

 

Okay, no more screwing up starting _now_. Oh, I left a cup ring on the table. Starting _now_. A quick wipe and the mark was gone. See? A little effort went a long way.

 

The air filled with a grey static, the sparks stitching together upon impact. As the pieces grew larger, they took on more and more of a blue tint. Before long, Sans was back in his seat as though he never left. Well, he had a styrofoam cup filled with what smelled like coffee. That was new, and it meant I didn’t completely fumble before. Neat.

 

“sorry for taking so long. needed some joe.” He punctuated his point with a sip. “oh, sorry. should have grabbed you some.”

 

“No no! I’m fine now, thanks. Wait, where did your jacket go?” He was left with just his thin, white t-shirt on his torso. Seeing the bare bones of his arms was… weird. I guess I was used to the thicker build his coat gave.

 

“kid needed it more than me. chances are they’ll be tuning back into the fight, and the thing blocks out the worst of time. wore it back at the enabler’s debut, remember?” Oh yeah! I didn’t think DT affected inanimate objects, too. Definitely noting that for later.

 

“speaking of which, i wouldn’t try sleeping for, say, two hours or so. this one goes on for a while.”

 

“Oh, so the visions coincide with our reality in real time?”

 

“yep. so long as you’re awake at the time, it’ll blur into an afterimage or a spare thought at the back of your head. focus and you’ll see it.” I would have tried, but I knew that would be an A class screw up. “yeah, can’t blame ya for not going for it.” He probably knew how uncomfortable I was at the moment. His eyes were swinging back and forth, looking for something to say.

 

“hey, alph, uh… thanks for hanging in there for frisk.” Okay, I needed to hear this. “kid’s been having it pretty rough lately. kinda throws my routine for a loop seeing them like that. them depressed behind closed doors is like pap being sad. just not natural.” Shivers ran up my back.

 

“I’m with you there.” I knew what being in that kind of funk was like. The last thing I ever wanted to see was our Frisk staring off into the abyss ready to jump like I was. Again. It was bad enough hearing they did it once before. “Should we… tell someone else? This is a big, big thing we’re sitting on.” I really didn’t like the crease lines forming where his eyebrows would be.

 

“much as that would help things, i’m kinda under oath to stay quiet about this. took a bit of smooth talk just to get you in the loop.”

 

“Why would Frisk cut off help like that? If more of us knew, we could do more to fix things!” The creases kept getting deeper.

 

“look at it this way. why did it take you so long to open up about the amalgamates?”

 

“Well, I thought others would hate me for twisting up their loved ones like…” Oh. Now it made sense.

 

“exactly. frisk has been watching themselves kill everyone they love over and over again at night, sometimes during the day, since they came to the surface. they’re afraid everyone’ll turn on them if the truth got out.”

 

“But none of us could ever hate them. The only fault they have that isn’t due to timelines crossing is loving too much.”

 

“the important thing here is that they **feel** that way, not that it **is** that way. no one hated you for the DT experiments, but you thought they would. the idea of letting that out tore you up. that in mind, ask yourself this. do you really have the stomach to go behind frisk’s back and spill the beans?”

 

No way. Nope, nope, not now not ever, no. I didn’t even want to imagine the look of betrayal on their face. This might be a mistake, but I subconsciously took the same promise of secrecy.

 

“that out of the way, i’m gonna need a favor.”

 

“Sure, sure. What do you need?” Did… he just gulp or was it my imagination?

 

“frisk and i have had a few deals going to keep the peace. they see someone else in their visions, they tell me so i can make sure it doesn’t hit them too hard. one of us is under the weather, the other pulls ‘em back to their feet. the cycle works, but frisk wanted it airtight, so they tied up the big loose end right off the bat.”

 

“when they link up to the old memories, their LOVE skyrockets. i mean, way worse than chara could dream of. past thems had a hand in killing the whole world countless times. if they ever lose it like that, they’d be even worse than any dream demon you see.”

 

“so, if worse comes to worse, they wanted someone who could take them on. like me.” My stomach fell out. “yeah, it’s that bad. their biggest fear is hurting someone on a power trip, so who better to block not them off than the guy who killed them a few hundred times per bad timeline?”

 

“It makes… sense, I guess.” Still, that was a horrible mental image. Hearing about the near rampage after the fire was bad enough. That kind of rage paired with the damaged mindset of Chara would be a nightmare.

 

“do you see the problem here? we start fighting, everyone will be panicking. they need someone to help evac. you would be perfect. you did it once, you can do it again.”

 

“Wait, wouldn’t you want our help holding Frisk back?”

 

“look, i get your logic. it would probably be a good idea, too, if frisk could be held back. you saw them in action back in the underground. they don’t stop for anything. they set their mind to something, that thing will be done. end of story. if a violent them wanted dust, there would be dust, and i don’t want any of you caught in the storm.”

 

“back then, during the old timelines, you were one of the few who got away. everyone else, undyne, mettaton… papyrus… they all died and i couldn’t do jack to stop it. if i let it happen again, i don’t think i could take it. so please, if it ever comes up, get everyone else out.”

 

“…Okay, Sans. I’ll do it.” The effect was immediate and familiar, his upper half sagging after the mental weight’s removal. “I guess that’s all the more incentive to not let it happen, right?” His old, genuine smile returned to a small degree.

 

“sounds like the skeleton of a good plan. how about we flesh it out a bit?” Seeing how I shouldn’t be sleeping for a few hours, I would say it was the perfect opportunity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, now I kind of want to make a side story cataloguing Genocide Route Alphys's little trip, capping off in a full version of her last stand. What do you guys think?


	15. Training Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Frisk studies the ebb and flow of the magic within them, so to must they discover the gears beneath the gears.

Breath in. Breath out. Focus on the Determination streams flowing through you. That’s what Undyne said to do. As it turned out, making use of your magic for anything other than movement or minor light shows was pretty difficult. Any electricity that you generated tended to fizz out after getting more than five feet away. It was somewhat disheartening.

 

But you were nothing if not determined. Undyne could vouch for you on that end. After all, she was the one overseeing your attempts at the moment. Thankfully, she was much more patient with magic training than cooking practice, but that wasn’t saying much.

 

“Try another lightning bolt!” You would still follow her orders, of course, even if she was bundled up in more layers than an onion. And refused to leave the heat radius of the bonfire. She really didn’t like the cold.

 

You directed your energies to your right hand. From there, it stockpiled in the tips of your fingers. All attention was diverted to the crackling limb, lest you lose control and risk giving yourself light burns again. The sparks rising from your skin slowly became more controlled, transitioning from spraying wildly from your open hand to smoothly running along its surface.

 

It allowed you to shift a part of your mind to the log in front of you. It was little more than a thick pole of wood jutting from the ground ten feet away, but it was the perfect target. You couldn’t bring yourself to fire at an actual training dummy, much to the lessened anger of a certain ghost.

 

You opened your eyes a bit wider, your target’s location locking in your mind. Your hand glided to the opposite side of your body, leaving a trail of electricity. Breath in. Breath out. Breath in.

 

Your exhale took the form of a grunt, your hand shooting directly in front of you. Your magic took a more physical state, a bolt about a foot in diameter. It sped from your arm, its pace just within the limit where you could still track it. Time slowed for you as it traveled. Closer, closer, closer…

 

It disintegrated into a shower of sparks before it could make contact. You would have been disappointed, but you were far more invested in reclaiming your lost energy. You had tried this exercise one hundred times in a row at this point, and you were running out of steam. Sweat ran down your forehead, soaking most of your long, brown hair. It lost its usual minor buoyancy, sagging down to touch the top of your back.

 

“Alright, punk. Let’s take a five minute break and continue your two hundred shots from there.” You took a seat by the fire. The thought of only being half done made your determination waver. Speaking of wavering, that’s exactly what the fire did. Undyne hurriedly reached for the pile of wood she gathered, but found nothing but a handful of snow. She already burned through her supply.

 

“Oh that’s just perfect. Stay here, kid. I’ll go find more.” She tried standing up, but the copious amount of coats and snow pants made it a challenge. It was like watching a marshmallow trying to learn how to walk. You got up instead, far less hindered by your simple jeans and favorite striped sweater.

 

“Let me.” She let out a heavy sigh, settling back onto her sitting rock.

 

“Alright, just make it quick, okay?” The fire grew severely smaller and she panicked, trying her best to fan the flames with her stiff arms. You ran off into the woods, keeping your eyes open for loose twigs.

 

Ten minutes later, you realized how inefficient your plan was. All you had found was a pair of sticks, both about the length of a baseball bat. You guessed Undyne already gathered everything above the snow line on her first sweep. You were about ready to head back, hoping your meager find would be enough, but turned directly into one of the trees. How did you miss that there?

 

You backed up, looking up at your unwilling assailant. You saw that the plant was well past dead, its bark curling off at odd angles. At this point, all it was doing was taking up space younger trees could use. It was perfect.

 

You placed your sticks on the ground nearby, rubbing your hands together to warm them up. Your arms wrapped around the decaying trunk, your legs tensing as you pulled backwards. The tree, though dead, was still firmly rooted to the ground. The most you got for your efforts was a handful of creaks from the bending wood. Trees were much harder to suplex than boulders (which Undyne was happy to add to your physical training regiment with Brutus.)

 

Your already exhausted body popped off the trunk, landing with a thud on your back. You looked up at the tree, fishing around for a way to remove it from the ground. You briefly considered using your magic, but threw the idea away as you realized that would risk burning the whole forest to the ground. No, what you needed was something sharp to swing at it, something like and axe or maybe a…

 

Your mind flashed back to the hazy post-fire rage. Amidst the searing anger, you remember yourself constructing a sword from DT. Looking closer at the memory, you found some rough ‘blueprints,’ of sorts. Yeah, that would work. You remembered Undyne had given you a brief explanation on how to create magic weaponry, a technique passed down to her by Asgore. She said beginners often preferred using a physical base to build off of, limiting how much magic one needed to create and maintain the construct, something like a stick.

 

Your eyes flashed back to the two you had set on the ground. Bingo! You dragged yourself back to your feet, taking the sticks with you. One occupied each hand, gripped tightly around the base. Following the subconscious plans, you let your power flow to your palms.

 

Eventually, it started seeping out, inching up the wooden surface. They became obscured by a veil of yellow… well, mist was the wrong term. Its movement resembled as much, but its overall density was closer to liquid than gas. Fog was a bit closer, but still not quite enough.

 

It didn’t take long for both bases to be completely coated, but the flow didn’t stop there. It continued far past the sticks’ tips, doubling their total length. You trained your thoughts towards compressing the magic, the veil condensing into a thin sheet. When the smoke cleared, you were left with two long, razor-edged swords. The blades shined a light yellow, the hilts taking on a more golden appearance offset by occasional bands of onyx.

 

You took a few swings, finding them to be surprisingly light. They felt more like extensions of your arms than anything, which made sense due to them being formed out of your own magic. They essentially were part of you.

 

Your eyes locked onto the tree. You scanned up and down its length, trying to find the thinnest portion of the trunk. Though it was overall a very balanced tree, the line just below your neck was a few inches thinner than the rest. You swung your left sword, leaving a small mark at which to aim the rest of your strikes.

 

When your muscles settled, you began your assault. Your blades were a blur in front of you, the scratch you left becoming deeper and deeper. Running through a handful of combat scenarios near infinite times, though an awful nightmare, had a few perks. It gave you plenty of past experience to draw on if need be.

 

The tree didn’t stand a chance, its last few connections severed at your hands. You pushed the upper portion lightly, everything from your cut on up falling like a domino. It crashed into the ground, spraying snow in every direction. A whistle right behind you caused you to panic, swinging around to see who chose to jump you.

 

You became decidedly less startled when you saw it was just Sans, his grin taking a rather smug appearance.

 

“you know, it’s kinda tradition to yell timber when you cut down a tree. just sayin.’” You rolled your eyes, smiling in good nature at his jests. You raised an eyebrow, curious why he was here. “alph and i came up with an idea to help get a better grip on that ‘problem’ of yours. wanted me to come get ya. coming?” You resisted the urge to excitedly say ‘yes’ on repeat, opting for a much more relaxed nod.

 

“Have to tell Undyne first.” You turned, planting the blades of your swords in your hard earned prize, using the handles as leverage to lift with. The other end lifted onto a small sleigh in a burst of blue magic.

 

“might need a hand with that. don’t think one kid could quite make the cut.” You knew better than to ask where the sleigh came from.

 

“I don’t know. It’s not like I’d work myself to the bone.”

 

“you know tori would have a stern-um chat with me for not helping.” The jokes kept flying all the way back to camp. You briefly wondered if the annoyed look on Undyne’s face was because she heard them. That flew out the window as you saw the fire had burned down to the size of a candle.

 

“Y-y-you two t-t-totally need to cut down on the p-p-puns. I’m freezing my fins off h-here!” Sans got that special sparkle in his eyes.

 

“chill, undyne. we’re cool.” The next groan was definitely for the jokes. You chuckled a bit as you peeled off pieces of wood to throw on the fire.

 

“What’re you doing here anyway, n-nerd?”

 

“just here to pa-tell-ya that alph wanted frisk’s help with a little test. scientists only, sorry.” She had to raise an eyebrow at that.

 

“Last time I checked, you weren’t a scientist.” If only she knew.

 

“maybe not, but you guys know better than to try stopping me.” Undyne was about to make some sort of snappy comeback, but stopped when you pulled your swords out of the wood.

 

“Hey, where’d you get that steel?” You answered her question by stopping your power flow to it, letting the sword coverings melt away into electricity. All that was left was a pair of sticks, which you threw into the fire. “You’re pretty good at that. For a beginner. Didn’t you pull the same thing out on the bomber guy?” She immediately regretted asking, seeing you flinch at the mention of the event. You nodded uneasily, and she wisely stopped talking about it. “So, uh, tests?”

 

“right, right. c’mon, pal. i know a shortcut.” The last image of Undyne you saw on the way out was her trying to pull herself up again, reaching for another piece of wood. Sans led you both behind a tree, where you promptly vanished.

 

-

 

Well this was odd, and that’s by your new standards. You were seated on a simple, yet cozy cushion in the middle of a small, metal chamber. The way the walls shifted between black and silver suggested it to be the time proof variety. You had no shirt on, instead wearing a multitude of bands made of the same metal. Wires and sensors ran along your body, all connected to a metal pad on your chest.

 

Sans was leaning on a nearby wall, making sure not to cover up any of the ports where cameras were stationed. Alphys manned the control board at the other side of a thick pane of glass. She was running the last of her maintenance drills before the experiment commenced in full. Whatever it was, they had yet to brief you.

 

“What exactly are we doing?” Alphys blushed a little, realizing her mistake.

 

“Oh! Well, see, those machines are tracking your Determination streams, or most of them are. Sans supplied those bands they’re connected to. He says he made them so I could track and record the flow of LOVE in your system.” You gulped, highly unnerved by that energy’s role in this.

 

“don’t worry pal.” Sans patted your back. “i’m in here to shake you out of it if things get too far, alright?” It made you feel a little better, yet no less confused.

 

“As I was saying, we’ll need you to put your hands on this.” A short pedestal rose from the ground in front of you, a familiar orb stationed on its top. “You might recognize it from the Enabler. Don’t worry, we won’t put you through another round on that thing. The orb’s role in both that and this is just to give Determination a physical outlet. The first test is just seeing how your body reacts to a boost in DT levels. Tell us if you feel anything, be it a Save or otherwise, okay?”

 

You nodded, still curious about the specifics, yet soothed by the explanation. You heard a few more button presses, causing a second orb to emerge from the wall. Sans waltzed over to it, placing his hand on the surface. A fine, blue mist transferred between his palm and the orb, then between it and the wires connecting it to the stand.

 

Your hands started to tingle. A glance showed the mist had made its way to you, trickling into you through the orb. You let your mind wander within, exploring the vast streams of energy that flowed through it. This state was swiftly becoming a great relaxant, almost as effective as Blook’s music therapy. You started wondering how he was doing.

 

An ache rippled through your chest, DT moving there in response to your thoughts. Your eyes jolted open. Alphys noticed immediately, taking notes. You could have sworn she was saying something, but it was becoming more and more difficult to stay focused on this place. A portion of your consciousness drifted away on a wave of magic.

 

In moments, a second visual feed linked directly to your mind. It was Napstablook, laying still on the floor. A nearby ghost sandwich wrapper suggested he had just eaten, this being his family’s tradition. Mettaton seemed to have joined him, taking a position on the ground nearby. It was nice to see the cousins getting along so well.

 

Question satisfied, you floated back to your body. The somewhat rough shaking of your shoulder made it an unpleasant transition, but not too bad. Full control returned to your eyes, letting you see Sans’s concerned face.

 

“c’mon, kid, don’t go scaring us like that. you blanked on us for a minute. the heck just happened?” While you were surfing the world, it seemed your body was left just sitting there dumbly. You tried describing the experience as well as you could, their panic turning into mild excitement.

 

“This has so many possibilities! Sans, could you get back to your orb? We need more data!”

 

“sure, sure. just, uh, don’t be out too long, ‘kay?” You nodded, letting him get back to his station with steady nerves. As the power flowed, you felt the same lucid state start to roll over you. All you needed was a target.

 

“Any suggestions?” They didn’t seem to get what you meant. “I need something to focus on to travel.”

 

“well, we did kinda leave undyne out in the middle of nowhere. been wondering where she went.”

 

“You what? But, it’s so cold out there. You know she can’t take it! Can you check on her, Frisk?” You suddenly regretted leaving her so quickly, rushing to get your mind to start the process. It didn’t take long, and neither did the trip.

 

From the looks of things, she was just a little ways down the street, getting a mug of hot chocolate at Muffet’s bakery. She was getting a lot more business since she added the spider free menu (for the vegans out there, of course.) Your mind drifted back to the lab, where you reported your findings.

 

“Oh, that’s a relief. I hope she gets me something…” You had to agree with that. A spider donut sounded pretty good at the moment. This space warping stuff was kind of draining.

 

“I think I have one more in me,” you informed them. They stopped to think deeply, making their last choice count.

 

“well, i brought undyne up. you get the last call, alph.”

 

“Huh? Well, uh, okay.” Her brow furrowed. “Well, Papyrus said he had big plans for today. I’m honestly curious.” And now, so were you. You let your mind roam once more.

 

You found yourself inside of his and Sans’s shed. The doghouse there had a soft looking pillow stuffed inside, and the water bowl had a smiley face painted on. Papyrus was standing in the middle of the room, reading a book titled “Improving Containment Units For Dummies.” Every few seconds, he shifted a long plank of wood going across the bars of his makeshift jail. Eventually, he found it satisfactory, slipping underneath with a happy expression.

 

You let yourself drift back to your body, where you promptly started giggling madly. It took you a minute to settle enough to tell them what you saw, after which they did much the same.

 

“He’s kind of missing the point there, isn’t he?”

 

“pap’s a quick learner. he’ll figure it out sooner or later.” You were tempted to tell them about the ‘accommodations’ he had for you a few timelines ago, but decided to have mercy on Papyrus’s credibility.

 

You wiped a few beads of sweat from your forehead, thoroughly beat. A nap sounded lovely at the moment.

 

“guess that’s our cue to stop.” The orbs sank back behind their walls, and Sans started helping you out of your mesh of bands and wires. Alphys was jotting down the last few notes of the session. Just as you were beginning to wonder what she found, Sans covered your eyes, only letting you see again after blinking to the other side of the glass. You loved how useful that was.

 

“Find anything?” The monitors had all gone dim, your disconnection from the system shutting down the readings.

 

“Here, look at this.” She brought up another screen, a video recording of the sensors in action. It was an outline of your body with yellow lines strung throughout. You recognized their positions as those of your DT streams. Your hands had a small trace of blue near the palms, though it didn’t take long to shift to the same shade of yellow and enter the main canals.

 

“As you probably guessed, this is the flow of Determination in your body and that which Sans added to the mix. This was approximately ten seconds before your out of body experience.” The flow started to widen, soon encompassing all of your body. It started to shake until a large portion suddenly vanished. A hole formed in the left side of your chest, the remainder of your DT flooding to take the space.

 

You couldn’t help but note that the DT stopped flowing. It was just sitting there. A small swell of it returned to your chest, and the movement resumed.

 

“I think I know how you were doing that.” And that was why she was the Royal Scientist, a very quick evaluation of data. “When your body fills to the brim like that, it takes it as a sign that it should go into an overclock state. In this kind of controlled environment, the best way it can do so is by sending your Soul, the source of the energy, elsewhere. This allows you to see things through it as it travels between places.”

 

You had to whistle at that. It was a very simple, elegant explanation for what happened. It made perfect sense to you. In fact…

 

“Maybe it can do more than that.” Sans nodded.

 

“could probably do a lot more. maybe bookmark a place in space and time to go back to, repair a crack in the Soul, even send your lightning power into overdrive.” Determination was getting more and more interesting as time went on.

 

“With enough build up, it might even be able to break out of the confines of our, uh, let’s say ‘continuity.’ You know, see other timelines and things beyond,” Alphys added. The implication was clear. You had done that once before, when you met Gaster, and it meant that you could do so again.

 

“would you mind testing that little idea with us sometime? not now, but, y’know, eventually.” You happily nodded, quite liking the idea of seeing your mysterious friend again. But first, you really needed some sleep. You couldn’t hold back your yawn any longer. “sleepy, pal? a nap does sound pretty good right about now.” You hadn’t noticed the creases under his eye sockets until now. You guessed supplying DT was just as tiring as using it.

 

“I’ll drive you guys home. Maybe we could stop for some hot chocolate on the way?” Okay, sleep could wait. The call of pastries and a nice, warm drink was too loud to resist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let there be head canon! *Boom!*


	16. The Beyond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The multiverse opens wide for those who would view its splendor, but it, as any rose, has its thorns.

_Your world was dark. No matter where you looked, you found nothing. It was the_ _end as you had come to know it. A chuckle made itself known, a body taking shape in_ _the void. As it became clear, you saw its eyes wreathed in red, its body obscured by a_ _green, single striped sweater._

 

_“You still wish to be in this world?” it asked. “That’s cute, thinking you can take_ _back control so easily. Actually, this could be quite amusing…” It laughed again, sending_ _chills up your nonexistent spine._

 

_“I’ll make you a deal. You have something I desire. Give it to me, and I will_ _restore this world to do whatever you wish in. What do you say?” Anything sounded_ _better than this place. You knew you shouldn’t trust this creature, this thing that took_ _your body, but you saw no other choice. You reached out your hand, taking its in_ _agreement. “Very well. I’ll just take what’s mine now.”_

 

_Your chest hurt. It felt like every ounce of strength you had was breaking through_ _it, leaving a hollow space in your heart. In the air between you and it floated a small, red_ _heart. A Soul. The devil reached out to claim its prize._

 

_“Pleasure doing business with you, Frisk.” That name… You didn’t know why, but_ _that name gave you hope. No, wait, it wasn’t just any name. It was your name. That was_ _your Soul. This was your world._

 

_And you weren’t going to let it take any of them away. You refused. Numbers_ _filled your head. They felt powerful, and you were glad to use them._

 

_“Nine, six, two.” A ripple echoed through the abyss, energy swirling around with_ _you at its center. The creature was starting to panic, breathing becoming erratic. “Nine,_ _six, three.” Your Soul emitted an aura of yellow. The creature recoiled in pain, backing_ _away from you._

 

_“What are you doing!?” You felt your body become a bit more physical._

 

_Somewhere, in the back of your head, you felt the Ruins calling for you. This was your_ _gate back, and in front of you was the key. You took hold of your Soul, returning it to_ _where it belonged. You locked eyes with the demon before you, determined to wipe_ _away all the evil it had done._

 

_“Taking back my world.” The void filled with a heavenly glow. You felt lighter, as_ _though the copious dust you had accumulated was blowing away in the wind. Chara_ _was following suit._

 

_“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” it cried. “Someday, we will play this game_ _again, and I plan on winning. You can count on that!” Focusing became difficult. The_ _passing wind had changed, now comforting your bruised and battered form. You let_ _yourself be carried away to a bed of yellow flowers._

 

-

 

You awoke with a sad smile. You remembered that time all to well. Inevitably, Chara would always wipe out the world. In the darkness that followed, whatever was left of the true you longed for that which was stolen. They would offer you a deal to extend their amusement, and somehow you would break it. Even if you failed at first, letting them roam free for a time, you would always set things the way they should be.

 

That was enough heavy stuff for the time, though. You, Sans, and Alphys had big plans for today. No one had seen Sans all week, but you knew why. After all, it would take plenty of DT to leave your timeline and explore that place beyond, and he was more than willing to make it possible.

 

“ready to go?” You turned to your side, finding the skeleton in question looking out your window. He had you in the corner of his eye, already knowing what your answer would be. You smiled, prepared to see how far you could push time’s rules.

 

-

 

You were hooked into the bands once more, Sans taking a seat on a stool off to the side. Alphys was at her control panel, doing the last checks on her sensors and cameras. Soon enough, the orb raised in front of you.

 

“Okay, Frisk, it’s time.” You were all excited. Learning how to send someone out and retrieve them could be a great boon to your efforts to retrieve a certain lost human. You gave Alphys a thumbs up, shifting your new head mounted earphones into a more comfortable position. She had explained their purpose earlier.

 

They linked directly to your Soul through the Determination streams. In theory, this would allow whoever was at the other end of the signal to talk to you as you traveled out. There was a catch, though. The link was too unstable while using normal electricity. The only energy source capable of maintaining the connection was pure, unaltered Determination, and there was only one other among you who could handle it safely. That’s why Sans had the opposing pair.

 

“alright, kid. the rest is up to you.” You nodded, ready for anything. He looked at Alphys, confirming she was ready. His hand rose with three fingers held up. Slowly, he counted down. Two. One…

 

You put your hands on the orb. The effect was immediate, your streams pulsing, overflowing, until your Soul felt loose in its socket. You had to hold on a bit longer. Releasing it before enough energy had accumulated would not only result in failure, but it would mean another long, grueling week of storing energy for Sans. You had one shot, and you would make it count.

 

Your body began to ache. Sparks ran up and down your limbs, but still you couldn’t let go. Not yet. You spared a glance at the wall, where a large outline of you sat on a screen. The energy pulsing through you was nearing maximum capacity. You just had a few more seconds.

 

Your eyes were watering, your breath was catching, and your arms felt like they were burning. Not yet. Just a little longer. Your bones ached, your lungs fully clamped. Just a little longer…

 

A sharp ding echoed through the lab, and you were finally able to let go. Your Soul launched from your chest, and you followed, leaving your earthly body behind. The scenery rushed past, its sights blurring in the face of raw speed. You left the planet behind, then the solar system, the galaxy, the universe.

 

Then, just as it felt like everything was slowing, you pierced the final barrier. First, it was only dark. Then, the timelines revealed themselves. They were vast, beautiful. They wove in and out amongst each other, coinciding but never touching. It was almost to the point that you could ignore the voice in your ‘ear.’ Almost.

 

“kid, you there? talk to me.”

 

“Here, Sans.” The sigh that followed sounded particularly relieved. “How’s my body?”

 

“it’s fine. went limp on us when you left. oh, really? that’s good. yeah, alph just said your body looks fine on her end, besides the no soul thing.” That was music to your ears. You were ready for another long stay in bed after this, but, from the sounds of it, you wouldn’t be cooped up again. “what’s it like out there?”

 

You did your best to describe the scenery, but, in truth, it escaped any and all written expression.

 

“sounds like a real sight. you said they were timelines, right? how’d ya figure that out?” You had to think for a second on that one.

 

“Not sure. It’s what my Soul said when I saw them, so I figured…” This would normally be the point where you shrugged awkwardly. Good thing you didn’t technically have shoulders at the moment.

 

“yeah, your gut usually knows what’s up with this kind of stuff. okay, incoming directions from alph. she says to try getting close to one of those things, but don’t touch it. not sure if we can pull you out of another timeline yet.” You knew better than to question the advice, skidding as close as you could to the next stream over.

 

Your mind was assaulted by a string of images. Such situations would usually be accompanied by a headache, but this time, it was oddly soothing. It was like a more vivid form of someone reading a book to you, for lack of better comparisons.

 

You saw yourself, Sans, and Papyrus out in Snowdin. You were all building snowmen in the town square. Pap even lifted you up on his shoulders to put the hat on a particularly tall one. It seemed like a really fun time, that you’s joy bleeding into your heart. You told Sans what you were seeing, who, in turn, told Alphys.

 

“you’ll have to see if pap’d be up for it sometime. sounds like fun. okay, try another timeline.” You were excited to see what else these new worlds held, zooming over to the next one in line. Images once more filled you thoughts.

 

This time, it was a clearly older version of you, either late teens or early twenties, sitting on the beach. Some weird, hairy guy walked up and started hitting on you. It felt really awkward, making Sans’s appearance with a pair of ice cream cones all the better.

 

Then it got awkward again as that you clung to Sans, doing a close mimic of Mettaton’s voice as they made a combination bone pun and innuendo. The hairy guy was just as creeped out as you, running off with a horrified expression. Well, okay, you wouldn’t go that far. They seemed happy enough, even breaking into laughter at the sight. Sans was, well, Sans about it.

 

“sounds like you interrupted that us’s date. real classy, pal.” He knew you would be rolling your eyes at him. “give the lovebirds some space, would ya?” At least he knew better than to drag the teasing out too long, letting you continue perusing the various timelines.

 

You saw more than a few candidates for oddest possible events that day. One version of you was carrying Flowey around in a flowerpot, strapped to you with a baby harness. Flowey looked about as pleased as you would imagine. Another world showed Asriel, walking around with your Soul glowing in his chest. You didn’t dwell on that one too long, too many bad memories surfacing. There was even a version where everyone except you and Flowey was dressed up in goth style clothing, with more jagged edges than a sword factory.

 

Then, out in the distance, you saw a lone timeline spiraling from the rest. It seemed to be growing farther and farther as time passed, going more and more grey the farther it got. You told Sans of the phenomena and went in for a closer look. At the time, you really wished you hadn’t.

 

Your vision became coated by a golden light. Marble pillars lined the hall, more than a few toppled over. The cause became clear, a swarm of blasters chasing a single speck. It was you, wielding a heavy, dusty knife. Each wayward shot blew another hole in the corridor, but you remained untouched. No, it wasn’t you, you realized. It was Chara in your body.

 

Sans stood at the end of the hall, controlling his blasters remotely. A hailstorm of bones filled the air, bursting from the ground beneath Chara’s feet. It didn’t stop them, though, from getting closer and closer to the skeleton. You knew what would happen. In a few moments, Sans would die. Your heart ached, and your anger flared. You wouldn’t let it happen again. You were determined to change this twisted fate. Sans heard your thoughts over the connection.

 

“hold on, kid. we don’t know what’ll happen if you go in. don’t dive, do you hear me? just DON’T.”

 

“Sorry, Sans, this is too important.”

 

“FRISK, I…” Whatever followed was blurred out by the sound of the time stream bending around you. It creaked under your force, unable to stop you.

 

-

 

‘ _Yes, finally. After so many tries, so many game overs, i finally win, Sans!’_ I thought to myself. He was a great opponent, an actual challenge only one other could match, but I was just too determined to lose this time.

 

I could see the sweat on his forehead, a sign he was tiring. His attacks slowed by a few fractions of a second, leaving the perfect opening. I closed the gap, his strikes becoming more and more frantic. I got in arm’s reach of him, and took my swing…

 

Only to find my arm wouldn’t move. He seemed as surprised as me, his attacks pausing midair. Why couldn’t I just finish this already?

 

My head throbbed, and I heard a voice. No, it wasn’t their head, it was yours. This was your body, and they couldn’t have it. You looked Sans in the eye, your face twisting in pain. You couldn’t fight Chara forever.

 

“Run.” I wrestled control of my body back for a few moments, long enough to yell, “What the Hell did you do!?” My chest ached, causing you to recoil. Your Soul just needed to reach a little deeper. Without this one little thing, they would be unable to tamper with the timeline again. Just a little deeper…

 

You felt yourself fly backwards, slamming against the wall with a heavy thud. You looked up, staring into the eyes of Chara. They looked somewhere between enraged and dumbfounded. You forced yourself to your feet, balancing on two legs of yellow fog.

 

You could just barely make out the finer details, a rough approximation of your body molded from Determination. You didn’t know why, but you had the strange feeling it would work just as well as your real one.

 

“Who are…? Oh, I see,” Chara laughed. “Time really is screwy if there can be more than one you. Well, I think this calls for a repeat. I’ll just have to be a bit quicker next time, that’s…” They stopped, a panic overtaking them. “Why, why can’t I go back!?”

 

You flashed a confident smile, opening your hand. A small, withered, red Soul sat in your palm. Its pulses felt relieved of a heavy burden.

 

“Time isn’t yours anymore,” you informed them. They burst into a berserker yell, charging you with all they had. You weaved in and out of their knife’s range, pushing your considerable agility to its max. There were more than a few times where they were able to nick you, leaving small scratches of dark gold.

 

A storm of bones intercepted your scuffle, forcing them to retreat. You hit one of them with the back of your hand as you dodged, sending it into Chara’s pilfered fist. Pain forced them to drop the knife, which you were swift to claim. You flung yourself towards Sans, joining him in staring down your newly disarmed opponent.

 

“not sure what’s going on here, but you look like a friend. am i right?” You nodded, allowing a piece of yourself to trickle up the edge of the knife. It brushed away the flakes of dust staining its surface. “don’t see any LOVE on ya, so i’ll choose to believe that. thanks for the save, pal.”

 

Any further banter was cut short by Chara donning a frying pan. Its basin was burnt, and radiated an odd magic. They pulled out a steak that vaguely looked like Mettaton, eating it in a few, large bites. Any cuts and bruises on their skin shrank, vanishing before they could catch their breath.

 

“Two on one is a real dirty trick,” they said, wiping away the residue on their lips.

 

“says the dust devil itself.” They just cackled, spinning their pan in the air.

 

“Let’s go, you filthy cheaters!” They ran down the hall, their eyes locked on the Soul in your hands. You tucked it away in your sweater, already knowing your plan of attack.

 

“Sans, use the big blasters.” He rose his left hand, knowing better than to question the weird magic-made human.

 

“hope you’re on to something, kid.” He unleashed his swarm, the corridor buzzing with their energy. Several of them formed a ring around Chara, blasting one after another. You recognized it as Sans’s finishing move. This time, though, Chara couldn’t seem to get the pattern down, some blasters going off well before they were meant to, leaving gaps just large enough to slip through. The blasts themselves were smaller, as if they weren’t able to make a full charge.

 

They finally tired of these games, smashing some out of the way. They wanted you more than ever. Well, you were ready to grant their wish. They swung their pan, clearing out another of the vision obscuring devices, only to reveal you, your lightning blade ready to swing. You took your chance, leaving a deep cut just below their wrists and knocking the frying pan away.

 

“Checkmate, Chara.” You swung as quickly as your limbs would allow, aiming for their legs above all else. Your goal wasn’t to win, it was to slow them down. You drove them further and further back, and their darting eyes seemed to notice the lack of blasters in the area. Their movement was halted when they ran into the unmoving mass of angry skeleton. He was holding a single blaster, pointed straight at the ground in front of him.

 

“get dunked on.” Their scream rang through the hall, accompanied by the high pitched whine of a laser at work. Their body crumpled to the floor, a lifeless mass of flesh and dust. The sight of death, though well deserved, still made you want to vomit. You hoped your actual body wasn’t doing so back at the lab. “we… we actually won.” Sans stood his ground, staring at the corpse. His face was neutral, uncertain what to make of the sight in front of him.

 

“you said it lost its hold on time, right?” You nodded, patting him on the back. “then, it’s actually over.” Tears ran down his skull, soaking his white undershirt. “pap, it’s actually over. guess that means you’re not coming back this time.” His standstill was edging towards sorrow too quickly, the final card yet to be played.

 

“No, he can come back. Everyone can.” You handed him this world’s you’s Soul. Its pulsing slowed, the energy therein becoming heavy. “This is the Soul they used to mess with time. If you give it a little bit of Determination, it could Reset. And this time, they might be able to resist Chara. I’ll leave the choice to you.” You held it out, letting him cup the Soul in his hands.

 

Sans’s eyes dipped into a scowl, a blue flame enveloping the left socket. He held it close, tracing every nook and cranny, every sin and charity that graced its surface. His expression softened over time, his eyes closing and his mouth turning downwards in a soft frown.

 

“go on, kid. make things right.” A blue fog enveloped the Soul, pumping into its core. Its cracks smoothed over, and soon enough it was radiating its own yellow aura. It vanished in a heavenly glow. “what now?” he asked, a soft light branching from his hand out.

 

“Now, the loop starts anew. Hopefully for the better this time.” He managed a small grin, reaching out his hand.

 

“thanks, kid. don’t know what i would’ve done without ya. what’s your name, anyway?” You took his hand, shaking it as you spoke.

 

“It’s Frisk. And you’re welcome.” The shining grew brighter and brighter, pieces of the hall pulling away into the blinding light. It was time for you to go. You felt your Soul reclaiming the DT of your temporary form, taking its true shape. Sans waved goodbye as you sped away.

 

“take care, pal. there’s always a seat at grillby’s for ya if you come back.” You felt your DT ribbon around you, your senses blurring as you passed once more through the stream of time.

 

-

 

Your consciousness returned, your form floating out in the space between timelines. Static buzzed in your ear, which you soon found out was the connection back home reestablishing.

 

“kid, hello, do you read me?” Sans sounded worried.

 

“Man, do I have a story for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Playing with the multiverse is an empowering thing as an author. It's almost like you can go anywhere after that point, even referencing other fanworks without feeling too forced.  
> Also, yes, all of the opposing works mentioned are worth your time for one reason or another.


	17. Infinite Worlds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A certain tune about exposition comes to mind. Just listen to the happy tune and...
> 
> What? No, that isn't a Morningstar behind my back, pay it no mind!

“that’s, uh, pretty crazy.” That about summarized your feelings at the time. Well, aside from the joy of doing some good out there. Not to mention having an actual body again. Being a Soul was cool for a while, but you were much more comfortable in a well-grounded state. “still not your best plan, though.” You cringed at the harder edge in his tone.

 

“We get why you did it, Frisk,” Alphys cut in, hoping a softer chiding would work better. “But you really should have been more cautious. What if you couldn’t get back out after getting in? What if you were caught by the stream rewinding? There are just too many possibilities we don’t know to take this stuff lightly. The only certainty we have is what happens when things go wrong.” Everyone in the room shuddered. Erasure wasn’t exactly a fun idea.

 

“just promise us you’ll be more careful, alright?” You feverishly nodded. As nice as it sounded to talk to Gaster again, no one would be happy if you did so by way of being wiped away.

 

“At least I stopped Chara again.” Sans and Alphys looked at each other, the latter pulling at her lab coat’s collar.

 

“S-should I tell him, or…?”

 

“i’ve got it.” Sans looked a bit more melancholy, which you had learned to be a very bad sign. “i don’t think stopping that thing once is enough to make a big splash in the long run.” Yep, definitely not good.

 

“everything we’ve seen here is pointing to an old, popular idea floating around. it’s called the infinite world theory. ever heard of it?” You shook your head. “well, it basically says that every possible outcome exists out there somewhere.”

 

“Look at it like this,” Alphys started. “I had a choice between cereal and an omelet for breakfast this morning. In this world, I chose the cereal, but somewhere there’s a world exactly like ours except I chose the omelet instead. Every change, even something as small as that, constitutes an entirely separate existence. Get it now?”

 

This was actually pretty interesting. The thought of there being no limit on how many timelines you had to look at made you all the more excited to get back out there and explore. Everything you had ever done had lead to more than one outcome… Oh. Now you got it.

 

“you catch on quick. there are plenty of times where you didn’t give in to chara in the first place. times where you made us all your best pals, maybe never even heard of that kid’s messed up head.”

 

“but for every one of those, there’s a world where chara won. where it got the last laugh and killed everyone. heck, even your fight today has a down side. you won, but some other you lost. some version of us lost you out there, and, well, I don’t want that us and this us to ever be the same us, get it?”

 

Your head started spinning. Even when you won, you lost? No matter how much you helped, there was another who failed to? If there was always a world where you won, did this you’s actions even matter? You were shaken from your thoughts by Sans’s tight grip.

 

“don’t go getting depressed on me, pal. that’s my role around here.” You hoped he had something up his sleeves. “all those worlds where you win, it’s still because some version of you had the strength to change things for the better. even if there are a million you’s doing good, it doesn’t mean this you shouldn’t.”

 

“just look around. you make so many people happy in this timeline. pap’s got pals all over the place, mettaton’s blasting up the charts every day, tori’s got something worth living for again, and there are two happy couples practically made for each other living life to the fullest all because of your hard work. leave the heavy stuff to me, okay? you just stay determined and kind. it’s what you’re good at.”

 

You wiped away a tear from under your eye. He really had a way with words. You looked at Alphys, giving you her softest smile. You pulled out your phone, flipping through your camera’s storage. So many happy faces smiled back at you. Muffet’s bakery’s grand opening on the surface, 01 and 02 sharing nice cream, Alphys pulling a full body blush after Undyne kissed her on the cheek…

 

_‘Yeah, it was worth it,’_ you decided. So what if infinite Frisks had done the exact same things as you? This you had amazing, supportive friends and a loving family. All this infinite worlds stuff meant was that there were a lot of happy Frisks. Several unhappy ones, but enough that weren’t to balance it out. Sans took note of your improved mood.

 

“that’s the kid we know and love. always quick to bounce back.” He affectionately rustled your hair. “what say we go get you some ice cream on the way home?”

 

“Sure, I’d like…” Then you realized what he was referencing. Your flat stare bored through his skull. It just made him grin wider.

 

“you’re the one who made the connection, not me.” Darn it, Sans.

 

-

 

“Come now, child. I know you know your way, but I would rather we did not lose track of each other.” You hurried your pace, not eager to lose sight of Mom down here. The Ruins were a rather sprawling place, after all. “We do not have much farther to go, now.”

 

The thought of your own garden put a spring in both of your steps. Planting season was only a few months away, so why not gather some flower seeds ahead of time? Mom had more than enough waiting at her old home underground.

 

Going back came at the risk of Flowey being found out. He was still down here, hiding from the world. You hoped he got the letter you dropped down Ebott’s crater, warning him that she would be coming. If not, you had a lot of very uncomfortable explaining to do.

 

The hallway opened up to a lovely entryway, pots of vibrant yellow flowers lining the room. You did your best to not look directly at them. Mom, though, had no such inclination.

 

“Don’t you think some buttercups would liven up our new home?” The freshly rebuilt house did seem a bit bare at the moment, given that most of your decorations were lost in the fire. You could try forgetting the meaning behind the flowers if it meant making Mom happy. “The packets should be in one of these drawers here…”

 

You occupied yourself by poking around the building. You hadn’t had that much of a chance last time, but you did find an interesting article about water sausages. You wondered if there was anything else of note in that book. You found the bookshelf it was on, scanning the spines for the correct title, only to realize something had changed. The room that was taped up last time, supposedly under renovations, was wide open. A single, yellow petal was jammed in the lock.

 

You couldn’t stop your natural curiosity, lightly stepping in. What you found was an almost exact replica of Asgore’s room back in New Home. The only difference was the lack of pictures, clothing, and various knick-knacks that defined his ‘royal’ chambers. There was one thing left, though. A simple picture frame sat atop a short desk.

 

You picked it up, finding a family photograph. Mom and Asgore had an arm around each others’ backs, the other on the shoulder of one of two children. In front of Mom was Asriel, beaming at the camera with all the vigor of youth. Next to him was Chara, showing a toned down, yet no less creepy, form of their infamous grin. It was still hard to imagine these four were once a big, happy family.

 

“Frisk, how did you get in here?” You were startled by Mom’s appearance, who walked in with a confused expression.

 

“The door was open.” She knew you didn’t have the heart for dishonesty. Not often, anyway.

 

“That is strange. I could have sworn I had the key. What are you… Oh.” Her voice became sadder when she saw the photo in your hands. “May I see that?” You gave it to her without hesitation. Her eyes glazed over, memories flooding back.

 

“We took this a month before… things fell apart.” Your heart dropped at the sight of tears. She realized she had an audience just in time, wiping them on her sleeve before they could start running in full. “Forgive me, Frisk. I am afraid I’ve yet to get over my losses. There is hardly a day that passes that I don’t grieve for Asriel and Chara, even if only a little.” You did your best to hug her. All this sorrow couldn’t be good for her. It was causing a dull throbbing in the back of your head. It didn’t take long for her to notice your discomfort.

 

“Do you have a headache?” A nod confirmed her suspicions, and put her into mother bear mode. She was a bit more smothering like that, but you didn’t mind. “I believe I had some aspirin in the kitchen. Here, I will get you some.” She led you down the hall, opening the first cupboard she saw. “Try not to move too much in the mean time. It would only exasperate your ailment.”

 

You leaned against the counter, looking at everything that lined it. Next to you was a recipe for snail pie, which you wholeheartedly endorsed. A bit further down, there was a block of wood lined with several empty holes. It looked like the type of place one would keep knives, but there weren’t any.

 

_‘That’s a shame.’_ Wait, where did that thought come from? You wracked your brain trying to find the answer, that dull throb slowly growing into a full migraine. Well, knives had plenty of uses. They could chop up vegetables, wedge open stuck drawers, even open letters in a pinch. Quite the handy tool. On second thought…

 

…I could really use one.

 

Your eyes shot open, finally recognizing the thoughts for what they were. Your heart raced and your breathing got quicker. Mom noticed, running to your side and putting a hand on your forehead. No, get away…

 

“Are you alright, my child? You are burning up…” No, please, stay back. You didn’t want to hurt her. You didn’t want her to get in the way of my rampage. I wanted to save her for last, but I really didn’t mind one way or the other. So long as I knew she was safe from you. You needed to leave, **now.**

 

“Please…”

 

-

 

Frisk was starting to shake. Their body temperature was growing quickly, and their face shifted between a pained cringe and anger. The sudden turn in health was surprising enough, but the last thing I expected was them pushing me away. They didn’t have much strength, meaning they could just barely move my arms as they started stumbling out of the room.

 

I followed soon after, finding them tripping over their own feet. They were forced to lean against a mirror for support. I was about to catch them again when electricity started popping from their skin. Then the reflection in the mirror changed. It was only for the briefest of moments, but their sweater was green with a single yellow stripe, their hair was a touch lighter, and rosy red dots highlighted the wide smile on their face. It almost looked like…

 

My eyes were drawn back to Frisk as their muscles started tensing. A low, gurgling growl rose from their lungs. Their head slowly turned my way, the size of their pupils growing and shrinking at random. Their eyes clenched shut, holding their head as another headache hit.

 

“Please…” Their voice was soft, weak. I thought they were pleading for help at first as I drew ever closer. I regretted it as their eyes shot open, ringed by an inexplicable red light. That gaze was so familiar, and yet unlike anything I had ever known. **“Get out!”** The voice was not Frisk’s. It rang of two tones, distinct yet the same.

 

Lightning bursted through the room, setting my old reading chair on fire. I was left to hurriedly swing my eyes around, seeing everything burn before me. Even the carpet beneath their feet was not safe from the blaze.

 

Frisk’s magic sparked in their hands, solidifying into the hilts of two weapons. Energy raced atop them, rapidly building into a pair of long, razor edged blades. The space around them became blurry, the few windows of clarity letting me see their body shift between their own and that of the child in their reflection. My heart raced, unsure what I was looking at. It most certainly was not the loving child I knew, expression twisted into a seething rage.

 

“RUN!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Smash.* I lied! It was a Morningstar! Run, Goat Mom, run!


	18. Pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does one escape the shadow they helped cast?

My lungs heaved, straining from my efforts to escape whatever darkness had taken Frisk. I heard their screams in the halls behind me, the faint crackle of electricity accompanying them. I had never feared anything more in my life, and it was my own child. The door leading to Snowdin was just ahead, the idea of cool air soothing my tattered throat.

 

As I neared safety, I felt a minor sting at my heels, forcing my legs to stiffen and me to fall from the imbalance. My heavy robes cushioned the fall, but that was little comfort to my legs, struggling to move. I looked back, only to see Frisk had grown worse.

 

Their eyes were hidden beneath a curtain of hair, leaving only a shadow where they once were. They hunched over, arms out to their sides, blades brandished in a threatening manner. I tried using my arms to pull myself away, too unsure to risk a counterattack, but wasn’t quick enough. With a primal howl, they broke into a sprint, ready to tear me asunder before moving on to the rest of the world again.

 

Wait, again? Where did that thought come from?

 

I didn’t have a chance to think any harder on the matter, Frisk tripping over a small vine branching across the hall. It was possible I missed it on my way by just now, but I know it wasn’t there when we passed through before. I took my chance, scrambling for the door. It swung wide before me, slamming shut as I passed.

 

I breathed deeply of the frigid air, replenishing my lost oxygen. The sounds of metal on stone drew my eyes back to the Ruins, where a thick patch of vines had barricaded the door. At the bottom, the tendrils spelled out ‘RUN’ in large print. Far be it from me to ignore good advice.

 

As I crossed that odd bridge, my phone rang with the sound of a bone pun. I recognized it as a call from Sans, ducking behind the guard outpost to answer.

 

“Sans, we have a prob…”

 

“yeah, i know.” He wasn’t usually one to interrupt, or to speak with such a tired voice. “thank goodness you got out of there. where are you now?”

 

“Wait, how do you know what is happening? For that matter, what _is_ happening?”

 

“time’s short, so i’ll skim for ya. kid’s been dealing with some messed up ghost for months and now it wants their body. i felt a ripple in time and space coming from the ruins, and you two were the only ones there. putting two and two together wasn’t hard.” I heard the slashing intensify in the distance.

 

“I could use a hand if you would be so kind.” His thick sigh told me that wasn’t an option.

 

“i already tried getting out there my way, but something in the air’s blocking me. whoever’s running the Determination in your area knows their stuff. if you want help, come to that weird yellow hall up in new home. find your way to the boat dude’s outpost in snowdin and they’ll get you to hotland. got it?”

 

“Understood.” In truth, I was more confused than ever. I simply knew better than to question Sans’s advice. It was all I had as my world collapsed. A slam echoed through the forest, telling me my time was up. “I have to go.”

 

“alright. be safe, tori. frisk’d break if they hurt you.” I placed the phone in my pocket, weaving between the trees to throw them off my trail. It would have been more effective if I didn’t leave tracks in the snow. At least I could guess how much space was between us, the soft crunch they left putting them about half a mile away.

 

As I made my way to Snowdin, I couldn’t help but notice all of the additional noise behind me. Whenever I dared a glance, the area’s puzzles had been reactivated. It hadn’t been nearly long enough to activate the daily reset, meaning whoever was helping me knew their way around our makeshift defense systems all too well. Of all the puzzle engineers I knew, none were capable of quick enough movement to keep pace while also near instantly reseting the mechanisms. One or the other, certainly, but not both.

 

Either way, it meant that I had more time to escape. I would have to thank whoever it was personally when I had the chance.

 

The abandoned town came into view, all of its festive decor taken by its former inhabitants. It, along with the heavy buildup of snow, left a rather bleak atmosphere. I didn’t have time to worry about that, however. Even with the aid of the mysterious mechanic, Frisk was only about a mile off, and closing quickly.

 

The path to the boatman’s dock was the only cleared patch of land in town. At its end, a river leading through wide open tunnels ran smoothly, an ornately carved wooden boat hovering inches above its surface. Its owner was sanding off a dog face carved into its front when they noticed me.

 

“Greetings, your Majesty! Doo, doo, doo~. A skeleton said I would have an emergency rider today. Would that happen to be you?”

 

“Yes. I would love to chat with you as always, but I am afraid we are being chased.” I blinked, and they were somehow back in the riding portion of their boat, an oar in hand.

 

“We’d best be off then, wouldn’t we! Hotland, correct?” Their eternal cheery voice was always a welcomed pick-me-up. I nodded, taking my seat. Their raft zoomed off through the tunnels, a jaunty tune coming from beneath their hood. “Who, might I ask, is attempting regicide today?”

 

“I am uncertain. Sans said it was a ghost of some kind using my child’s body against their will.” Their head nodded, staying a bit lower than usual.

 

“Ah, the kindly human. One would never expect them to turn violent, would they? It sounds to me that you will need any support you can get. Even He Who Speaks in Hands would suffice.”

 

“He who speaks…?” My inquiry was cut short by the sound of heavy splashing. Behind us was a sight fit for the mentally ill. Frisk was racing along the water’s surface, lightning forming pads beneath their feet with each step.

 

“Hold on, your Majesty! We will need a touch more speed.” They switched the oar to their left hand, dipping it into the water. It was the first time I had ever seen them do so, and I soon found out why. The front end of our boat rose higher and higher, forcing me to grip my bench all the tighter. Our pace increased no less than tenfold, leaving my child behind in a spray of white foam.

 

My vision became blurry at that speed, making the sudden stop a very dizzying experience. The boatman helped me by the hand from his vessel, giving me a friendly wave.

 

“Goodbye, your Majesty, and good luck!”

 

“You are staying here? Wouldn’t you rather follow me to safety?” This caused them to cackle, not unlike Gerson.

 

“Don’t worry, ma’am. No one hurts the boatman! Or is that boat woman? La, dee, da~!” With that, the boat set off once more, its captain humming their happy little song. I yelled a swift thanks before making for Alphys’s old laboratory.

 

Not everyone knew it, but she had a passageway directly to New Home installed before the Determination experiments. According to old records I found, it was hidden behind a mislabeled vending machine in a secret section of the building locked beyond a door labeled as a bathroom. I never understood why so many monsters used ‘going to the bathroom’ as an excuse to leave or hide things. We did not even need bathrooms!

 

The elevator slowed down, opening to reveal a dark, dank room. How she could stand living atop such a desolate place was well beyond me, but it was handy for evading detection. No one knew how to reach this place but Asgore, Alphys, and myself…

 

Or so I thought. The grinding of metal on metal met my ears, along with the crackle of electricity. From the sound of it, Frisk was using their swords to slow their descent. I rushed over to the chisps dispenser and input the code on its selection interface. If memory serves, it was…

 

…MEW MEW KISSIE CUTIE LIFE…

 

The machine slid off to one side, a bag of ‘premium grade’ chisps landing in a small slot to the side. I grabbed it on my way, running ever quicker as the elevator doors behind me were pried open. I found escape was much easier if I stopped glancing backwards at every single noise of interest, giving me a plentiful head start.

 

The grey tunnel opened to an equally bleak cityscape. New Home lost its spark before I left so long ago, color draining from the very brickwork. Up ahead, I saw an arching doorway, golden light streaming from the opening. It promised safety from this nightmare, and I ran to it with all the strength I had.

 

Large bolts of lightning charred the stone around me, never quite able to hit their mark. The ground split and splintered under the force of pure energy, but still I kept my pace. Even the wall on my right exploding in a shower of sparks, pelting me with brick fragments couldn’t stop me.

 

The great hall opened before me. Its pillars glowed in the light, a beautiful aura almost holy in nature. It was once a place of vows, the very hall in which Asgore and I were wed and presided over all weddings that followed. I felt no comfort there beyond the hope that there would be someone here to help me. Someone strong enough to restrain Frisk so that we could help them get free of whatever spirit would dare haunt them.

 

What I found was nothing more than Sans, standing sentry at the center of the corridor. He was a trustworthy, helpful friend and a cherished member of our community, but he wasn’t the kind of raw power we needed.

 

The sharpened tips of swords danced on my robes, hacking closer and closer to my flesh, when a blue light erupted in the air behind me. I turned to find an army of hellish cannons now lined the room, cerulean energy streaming from their gaping maws. They resembled the skulls of demons, a crazed bloodlust in their eyes.

 

“get back topside, tori.” I looked to Sans, wondering who he recruited to control those beastly things, only to lose my grip on language at his sight. His jacket rippled in an unfelt breeze, a blue fog drifting from beneath it. His left eye burned with an azure flame, the rage therein rivaled only by the warped gaze of Frisk. “if i die, tell pap to feed rocky for me.”

 

He walked past me, his eyes locked on Frisk. They pulled themselves off the ground, their dodge of the skulls less than ideal. Their body blurred in and out, parts of them becoming that of the reflected child. Whenever it passed their face, the snarl on their lips transformed into a deranged smile.

 

“Sans, what is…?” He held out his right hand, motioning for me to stop.

 

“sorry, tori. looks like i can’t keep that promise of yours anymore. now you know why i hate them, conflicting interests with the guys i make them with.” That hand returned to its pocket, his left taking a turn in open air. “kid, can you hear me in there?”

 

“i know you’re there, and, i just want you to know, these last few months were some of the best of my life. actually worked up the energy to make something of myself. isn’t that cool? no matter what happens here, just remember that it was all thanks to you, okay? guess it’s time i made good on that promise of ours.”

 

“oh, and if you can hear me, chara…” His smile turned predatory, the light in his eye burning brighter and brighter. Why would he mention Chara? Unless…

 

“No, it couldn’t be…”

 

“…i just want one little thing from ya, and that’s to…”

 

“Is the ghost, my beloved Chara?” Tears flowed freely as I had not the strength to stop them.

 

“…GO BACK TO HELL.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Megalovania intensifies. Er, gets somber? Somber-o-vania? No, wait, Sombrero-vania!


	19. Warrior of Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The kid reeled back, voice swapping between that raspy howling and demented laughter. I could hear the divide pretty clearly. The roar was definitely Frisk, holding onto their body as tightly as they could. That laugh couldn’t be mistaken, ‘cause I’d heard it in my dreams for as long as I’d been on the surface.

 

What I didn’t hear was footsteps hurrying out of here. Tori was just standing there behind me, crying her eyes out, looking between the two of us for answers that weren’t coming.

 

“Sans, what is…”

 

“TORIEL.” She stopped at that. I never used her full name. “if i die here, the monsters up top will need to know what’s coming. i’ve gotta stay here and hold them off, so you have to warn them.” I turned around, giving her my most confident smile. “just trust me, okay?” Her crying slowed down, and she nodded solemnly before pointing back in front of me.

 

“Look out!” I focused again just in time to see the kid about to bring their swords down. You’d think Chara would learn that straightforward attacks didn’t work. I gripped them in my magic, flinging them to the side. Their body crashed through a window, growling savagely the whole way down.

 

“go on, then. you know what to do.” I didn’t see her carry it out, an explosion taking out most of the floor. I managed to jump before the part beneath me fell, letting me stay straight up, but it was still a pretty good fall. As I dropped, I heard Tori running off towards the castle, her footsteps growing fainter and fainter. I hoped she would be quick enough.

 

I crashed through the ceiling of some little building below, landing conveniently on the owner’s old bed. It was a good enough cushion for me, but I didn’t want to risk sticking around too long. A good call as it turned out. I got out of the door just as a bolt of lightning struck, demolishing the structure.

 

Out in the distance, in the alley between two skyscrapers, Chara Frisk was reaching a blade backwards, ready to launch another one. I didn’t want to give them a chance, taking hold of the buildings above. Two of us could play the demolition game.

 

They crumbled under my blue magic, crashing into the alleyway. They noticed ahead of time, sprinting from the danger zone, slicing through any debris that fell their way. They were good, I’d give ‘em that.

 

I closed the distance when their back was turned, pulling out a giga blaster above their head. They just didn’t want to give up, though, rolling to one side as it went off. It spun it around, trying to catch them in the blast. All it caught was several buildings, half of the block turning to rubble. Something told me this would take a while, making me actually happy that Pap had been dragging me out for those running exercises. I would need all the stamina I could muster.

 

The kid went on the offensive, flinging the biggest bits of stone my way. I knew what they were trying to pull, the hailstorm of rock obscuring my view. I would dodge all of these just to find them ready to cut somewhere in the middle. Well, I wasn’t born yesterday.

 

I blinked myself above the sandstorm, picking out the purple and green of their sweater amongst flying bits of grey. They seemed confused, wondering where I went. I answered them by making them the local center of gravity. The stones responded accordingly, piling atop them in a quickly growing ball.

 

They didn’t like the idea of being a planetary core, forcing as much energy as they could to the surface. Rocks blasted off of them in an electric detonation. I refocused my efforts to myself, flinging my body around to avoid incoming projectiles. They had dropped to mere shrapnel, too small to bother with anymore.

 

Besides, I always carried around my own throwing weapons anyway. The air filled with bones, catching them off guard. They took more than a few head on before working up the energy to start dodging. If memory served, an attack like that would knock half their strength away.

 

I pulled two strings of my longest bones out, throwing them their way to cover my tracks. They spun around like a pair of oversized throwing stars. They found the small gap between bones, slipping through at the cost of their balance. It was the perfect chance, activating a ring of blasters.

 

They came screaming to life, energy filling the air. In a few moments, it would eradicate the last of their health…

 

If it weren’t for a new move of theirs. Everything they had bursted alive at once. Magic filled the air around them, a solid wall of lightning. My blasts bounced off the shield, leaving Chara Frisk completely untouched. It was by sheer luck that I could duck under one of the ricocheting beams.

 

I hurried to reestablish eye contact, but couldn’t believe my sockets when I saw them. Their magic had hit a new level entirely. Their legs were wreathed in lightning, crawling in a steady sheet along the ground. The air was filled by vast ribbons of red fire, the space around them burning hot enough to distort the flow of light. Adding that to the already fuzzy aura they gave off made them a hard mark to track.

 

They gripped one of the streams between their swords, spinning it once before throwing it my way. I side stepped, only to realize the towering skyscraper behind me wouldn’t just stop it. The flames cleaved through stone, sending it collapsing on top of me. I warped out of the way, but Chara somehow tracked my movements. They were waiting within arm’s reach of me, slicing away at my sight.

 

I was forced to backpedal away, staying just a hair ahead of the razor edges. My jacket got caught a few times, tattered openings popping up everywhere. Must have hit the shirt beneath it, too, because I felt air flowing in my ribcage. It slowed my movements too much, making it easier and easier to get those little nicks in.

 

Still, I kept dodging as long as I could, watching for an opening to return fire, but it never came. I hit a wall behind me too soon, and Chara Frisk was quick to take advantage. They bound forward, ready to plant a sword through my head, the second off to one side in case I was able to side step again.

 

Their arm jerked backwards in midair, pulling them backwards and to the ground. I saw thin, white strings latched to their elbow. I only knew one monster who could do that, following the trail back to the suspected figure. Muffet was standing atop her pet, two arms wrapped around her side of the cord.

 

“what are you doing here?!” There shouldn’t have been anyone else down here. I was the only one who knew their attack patterns at all. Anyone but me would be cut to ribbons before they could blink!

 

“Why, saving you, Dearie! I thought you would be more apreciat- WHOA!” She was caught off guard by a tug on her line, pulling her from her massive steed. The spider muffin leaped forward, grabbing his owner with his mouth by the boots. “Thank you, dear! What are you waiting for, Sans? The battlefield is no place for a comedian!”

 

Chara Frisk’s grip tightened on their swords, slicing through the web and launching an arc of electricity in one swipe. At its current trajectory, it would cut Muffet and her pet in two, and neither was quick enough to avoid it. I blinked over to them, putting a hand on the big guy’s forehead and blinking away. We appeared on another building half a mile away, where I saw half a square mile of skyscrapers fall like dominoes.

 

“no place for a baker, either.” I ignored the shocked look on their faces, warping back to the danger zone before they could try to stop me. Hopefully those two would stay away this time. I switched gravity again, littering the ground in sharp chunks of stone. If nothing else, it would slow the kid down.

 

Looked like I was mistaken, though. They jumped from a window several floors up, avoiding the hazard altogether. I grabbed them, flinging them down from their high ground. The impact didn’t bother them much, using their momentum to keep charging. I didn’t have time to switch things up again, bracing myself for another set of dodging and weaving.

 

I wouldn’t need to, thanks to the intervention of Knighty Knight. Her mace was big enough to leave a crater as she landed, the magi-steel blocking the incoming swords effectively enough.

 

“Go to sleep.” The air filled with a fine mist, one of the oldest tricks in her book. The kid’s movements slowed, body growing weary under the effects of the repurposed insomnia cure. It wasn’t strong enough, another flurry of strikes coming from the freshly enraged kid. Their eyes filled with sadistic glee as the oversized mace fell to pieces. Knight would have been next if I didn’t send the kid’s gravity skyward.

 

“stay out of the way!” I shouldered past her, throwing a maelstrom of bones to the air. I left a few sticking from the ground for good measure, letting my magic’s grip on them taper off. They were getting wise to my tricks, another wave of electricity clearing the air and earth beneath them. They landed without any issues.

 

My strength was waning. Sweat ran in thick streams off my forehead. I had enough juice left for one more laser barrage. I raised my hands, letting a DT field fill the air. More blasters formed from the fog, a hoard of gigas. They went off with the express hope that the kid wouldn’t pull the elements in again to block it.

 

Those hopes were dashed when they bubbled up again, bursting from the resulting smoke. I couldn’t move. I just didn’t have it in me. Well, at least I held them back this long. Alphys would be evacuating everyone on the surface by then. Well, everyone but those two. I wondered what they were thinking, coming down here alone.

 

Unless they weren’t.

 

The realization hit me like a gaster blaster. Monsters naturally work in teams when they can, and there was an entire village of them just outside. My suspicions were confirmed when a glowing white chest plate filled my vision, swords clashing against a pair of elongated bones.

 

“HUMAN! YOU MUST CONTROL YOURSELF. THE FRISK I KNOW IS TOO STRONG TO BE HELD DOWN FOREVER!” His advice was ignored, but didn’t leave enough time for a counterattack. A bright blue spear parted the two, forcing Chara Frisk to retreat. Undyne leaped from the hole in the judgment hall, suplexing a big boulder in midair just right so it would drive them even further back. Cocky didn’t even begin to describe the smile on her face.

 

“Listen up, ghost thing! No one hurts one of my pals and gets away with it. Possessing them is completely out of the question!” A buzzing filled the air, followed by a ball of tightly condensed air. It exploded into a guitar solo upon impact, throwing the kid into the side of a building. They clung to the wall to scope out who just attacked, finding the shiny metal hide of Mettaton stationed up above on a floating stage.

 

“By special demand, the built for fashion superstar is here! Let’s see if an encore can wake our friendly neighborhood ambassador up.” The guitar in his hands had a large opening at the tip of the neck, compressed air shooting out in clusters as he played. The kid had to keep moving if they didn’t want it stuck in their head. Literally.

 

Monsters big and small, buff and lean, dirty and clean started pouring from on high, all with one clear goal; save their friends. Everyone was working together to bring the kid under control. When the last of the wave petered out, Asgore and Tori were left manning the judgment hall’s ledge.

 

“We are here for our Frisk, spirit of the lost.” She still seemed a bit shaken about fighting one of her old kids, but it didn’t blind her from the current predicament. Her fire magic came into full effect, walls of flame building between the kid and anyone they tried to tackle. Asgore helped out Mettaton’s way, tridents falling from the heavens to further restrict their movement.

 

“Section them off so miss Muffet has a clear shot!” He may not have acknowledged it often, but Asgore was a warrior at heart. In that instant, far from the peace of his garden, he was once again the indomitable king of all monsters, golden armor and all.

 

I was stuck in my spot, jaw hanging loose. I wanted to chase them all off, tell them how dangerous it was. But I guess that wouldn’t really work too well, considering they were facing the world eater in bite sized form without even a flinch.

 

But that’s just it, they didn’t know that. They thought they could just spin them up in a web and go on from there. No, Frisk was too strong to be wrapped up, and Chara was too determined to stop. A match made in Hell.

 

Soon enough, they only had a five foot stretch of ground to wiggle around in, shrinking more and more as tridents and spears and bones encroached closer and closer. As they ran out of room to roam, the muffin spider thing bound from around the corner, its owner fiddling with knitting needles.

 

“Knit one, pearl two, knit one, pearl two…” A curtain of spider silk fell around the kid, locking them further and further in place. Soon, they were just a struggling head sticking out of a ball of yarn. Everyone was taking a breather, the threat seemingly neutralized. Muffet was getting a few pats on the back for her good shot, and Asgore and Tori dropped from above to get a closer look at what they had become. Papyrus beat them there, though, getting up close to interrogate them.

 

“HEY, MISTER OR MISS GHOST CHILD, DO YOU THINK YOU COULD LET OUR FRIEND GO NOW? PRETTY PLEASE!? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, PROMISE YOU THE BEST BURIAL SITE POSSIBLE IN EXCHANGE!” Now, I loved my brother, more than just about anything else, really, but that naivety of his was just too much sometimes. He didn’t even register the growing grin on the kid’s face as a threat.

 

“IS THAT A YES? WOWIE! I’LL GET TO WORK AS SOON AS FRISK IS BACK TO US, AND WE’LL NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOUR BODY IS, OF COURSE.” He never got past the planning stage. Fire blasted out from the cocoon, incinerating it and leaving Chara Frisk free. Their blades were held out to the side and aimed right at Pap. The surprise and terror of the moment was too much for him, locking him in place.

 

“papyrus, no…” If I had a heart, it would have skipped a beat. Papyrus was one of the last things I had left from the good times, one of the few people who really got me under my usual joker persona. He was my brother, and I would take on the world if it meant keeping him safe. No two bit, body snatching, friend terrorizing demon was taking him away. Power flooded my body. For once in my life…

 

I was DETERMINED.

 

I warped, popping up between the two with my left palm outstretched. I threw it around my left side, sending the kid grinding along the cement pavement. In the corner of my sight, I saw Pap looking somewhere between awe and fear at my newfound strength. He stopped registering a moment later, the edges of my vision obscured by a thick, blue fog. I only had one thought in my head, keeping my promise to Frisk.

 

They threw themselves at me again, but were forced to abandon that plan by a hive of giga blasters. In their rush, they let go of the swords, the constructs bursting into energy when they landed. They seemed bigger than usual, about four times the size of a base blaster instead of double. All the better to blow them away with.

 

They went scrambling past the crowd, too busy avoiding me to even think about killing anyone else on the way. My main priority was isolating us somewhere. Everyone being in the crossfire would break the promise.

 

They could never escape me. With every block they traveled, I would always be there to meet them on the nearest rooftop, lasers following soon after. All fatigue had left me, swept away by a stream of raw energy. I never felt more alive than right there at the edge of death.

 

We eventually found ourselves in the city park, towering trees and low lying bushes everywhere. I hovered on top of the tallest plant I could find, eyes locked on the kid. Yeah, this would work. I heard the others following us, meaning I had just a few minutes before my window closed.

 

“this is where it stops, chara. the loop ends here and now.” They didn’t like the sound of that, gathering as much energy as they could hold in hand. They threw their fists my way, wide streams of flame and lightning racing to kill me. A twitch of the eye and I was gone again, about five hundred feet above their head. It took them a minute to find me again, and I imagine they wished they hadn’t when they got an eyeful of my ‘little’ friend.

 

I was front and center atop the biggest blaster yet. If I remembered the scales right, it was about the size Frisk said Flowey grew to when he got his leafs on the six human Souls. I let them get a good look at it before letting rip. The laser was massive, reaching from the center of the park to every adjacent block.

 

A scream erupted from within, echoing over the harsh screech of my weapon. Every monster stopped at its sight, cringing at the sound of the kid’s pain. I did, too, but I couldn’t let it stop me.

 

When the energy finally dispersed, all that was left was a crater. The greenery and grey was replaced by the dark brown of earth and a small speck of purple at its center. My ride lowered, deactivating when it landed in the pit. Along its edge, I noticed everyone gathering, more than a few starting to cry.

 

Lansot pushed his way to the front of the pack, just to run back after seeing the kid. No one could stop Brutus from coming along, just standing there with a shell-shocked expression. I don’t think things were quite registering for him. I couldn’t blame him.

 

I climbed off the cannon to get a better look at them. The kid’s body was back to normal, a purple sweater and basic expression. The blurring and red rings were gone, leaving their unmoving corpse. I fell to my knees, exhaustion finally catching up, right next to them.

 

“i hope you’re happy, pal. tell your mom i said hi.” The sides of my sockets started to moisten a bit, my mouth turning to a frown. Now, long time viewers to my life know only one thing is certain. Anyone out there remember it?

 

That’s right, God has some sort of vendetta against Sans the skeleton.

 

The kid jumped as soon as my guard dropped, their form changing to a green and yellow striped sweater with an eerie grin stationed on top. I could see the madness in their red eyes as they planted a palm on my chest. This close, I caught sight of their health bar. The one I had been whittling away at that whole time, hitting again and again with my strongest techniques.

 

There was only a tiny sliver missing from the end. Their LOVE was too much…

 

One second, I was on the ground, mourning a dead friend. The next, I was flying, cast away by a gout of blood red flame. My bones felt loose, hard to move. My head was fuzzy, and the flow of Determination sustaining me dropped to little more than a trickle.

 

“SANS!” I looked down, my brother reaching out for me. Sorry, bro, I tried my best. In the end, I could never do anything right, could I? My eyes slid a bit to his side, seeing Tori covering her shocked, low hanging jaw. She was crying, too. Sorry, I never did get around to explaining everything, did I?

 

I crashed back first into another building. I was on the ground floor, the damaged infrastructure unable to keep it standing. As rubble fell around me, I counted the last of my thoughts carefully. They were mostly regrets, hopes that everyone could run fast enough, the like.

 

I closed my eyes, a haze overtaking my conscious mind. They opened again, hoping for one last glimpse of the world. Was this what death looked like?

 

Funny… It was a lot more… green… than you’d think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Megalovania cuts off abruptly.* Oh yeah, I went there.


	20. Battle Against a True Villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hero's mantle lays untaken. Who among them has the will to claim it?

I was running with everything I had through Asgore’s old castle. Why did everyone just flood down here when I said to follow me? I tried warning them, I did! I hoped Sans wouldn’t be too mad at me for screwing up again.

 

I made it all the way to New Home, the ledge overlooking it, specifically, when I heard an explosion out in the distance. I looked over the city, a column of smoke rising from a crater. One of Sans’s blasters, but upsized to an insane degree, sat off to one side. Is that what destroyed the place? It looked like a tornado came through!

 

“SANS!” Papyrus’s panicked yelling hit my ears just as I noticed a figure covered in blue wisps fly out of the smoke. Was that Sans? My phone went off with one of Mettaton’s older tracks. I picked it up, somehow expecting the serious tone in his voice.

 

“Alphys, we have a problem.” The lack of his grandiose speech pattern was sobering at best.

 

“Metta, what’s going on down here? What happened to Sans?”

 

“Frisk, no, whatever that thing is, has been rampaging since we got down here. We thought Sans got it, but then it jumped up and…and…” He choked on his own voice for a moment. “Sans is dead, buried beneath the remains of a building.” I lost control of my muscles, the phone slipping from my hand and hitting the floor. “Alphys? Alphys!?”

 

Sans, dead? But, he was always so strong. No matter what happened, he always knew what to do. If he lost, can any of us stop Chara? I couldn’t hold back any longer, falling to my knees and crying into my hands. It felt like someone tore out my heart. Then I realized something. If it was hurting me this much…

 

“What will Papyrus do?”

 

-

 

I found myself running for the fallen building, trying my hardest to throw the rocks out of my way. I went so far as to use a few of my longer bones for leverage. They didn’t work too well, my mind split between the task at hand and the mad laughing of the ghost child back in the pit.

 

“Papyrus, we don’t have any time to waste here.” Undyne seemed unfazed by my brother’s abrupt burial. Her face was stony like the broken walls in front of us.

 

“BUT, SANS…” Every word I said was like a stab to her heart, each flinch making me feel worse and worse.

 

“It’s too late for him. I’m sorry, Papyrus, but we have to stop that thing or else his sacrifice will be in vain. I promise I’ll help you dig out his dust later, on my honor as a warrior.” It didn’t feel real at all. It was like one of those sick nightmares he helped me shake off every now and then. He couldn’t be gone, he couldn’t…

 

That laughter finally got to me. I felt this weird pressure in my ribcage. It was familiar, yet I couldn’t figure out why. My bones started shaking, my sockets fell to a scowl, and the only thought in my head was revenge.

 

I snapped out of it when I realized what I was feeling. Rage wasn’t something I could let myself feel. I needed to stay calm and think, but it was just so hard. I couldn’t hurt my friend, and yet that thing was using their body to do nothing but. My thoughts were all over the place. I just needed some sort of sign…

 

-

 

_Deep down in my mind, a memory surfaced. It was shortly after Undyne and the_ _human became friends, and she was speaking to me about it. We had talked that whole_ _day about random things. Eventually, it got back to Frisk._

 

_“SO, HOW DID YOU TWO HIT IT OFF SO WELL, ANYWAY?” I wasn’t one to_ _question good things, but I was just too curious._

 

_“It all kind of snapped into place during a fight…”_ _“A FIGHT? NEATO! THAT’S HOW WE GOT SO CLOSE, TOO! BUT, THEN_ _AGAIN, OUR DATE WAS AFTER THAT, NOT BEFORE.” She seemed less than_ _pleased by my choice of words._

 

_“It wasn’t a date, nerd! Just hanging out, that’s all! Ugh, anyway, I learned_ _something about them during that little scuffle. They’re a total weenie!” That was a head_ _scratcher for me at first._

 

_“REALLY? THEY SEEMED MORE THAN CAPABLE TO ME. I COULDN’T_ _EVEN LAND A HIT ON THEM!”_

 

_“Not like that! Yeah, they can move with the best of them, but they can’t hit worth_ _snot! They just don’t have that kind of killer intent in them, just like Asgore. When I_ _asked them why, they said something just like the old guy.”_

 

_“They’d rather_ die _than_ kill _.”_

 

-

 

Right then, it all clicked. Why Sans was so focused on killing them, how Frisk managed to keep fighting back for so long. Sans and Frisk were always so close. Best friends to the end. He knows what went on in their head better than anyone. He knew how strongly they despised causing pain, and to what lengths they would go to avoid doing so. He wasn’t being overly cruel or anything like that.

 

He was just trying to be a good friend.

 

As his motives became clear, I felt something at the edge of my mind. Several somethings, actually. About thirty long, hollow shells full of magi-steel and raw emotion. There was no mistaking them for anything else. They were the big cannon thingies Sans left behind. Their presence was accompanied by high pitched, whispery voices.

 

“Daddy, where is Daddy?” It must have been the blasters reaching out, looking for Sans. They didn’t quite sound like living things, more so like an alarm clock trying to get the attention of its owner. Still, they were more than real enough for me.

 

“SANS, SANS IS UNDER THIS BUILDING. HE, MIGHT BE DEAD…” Just saying it felt like snapping off ribs. The blasters became more shaky, welling up despite being machines. Sans always was good with this technology stuff.

 

“Daddy, dead? Who you, why feel like Daddy?”

 

“I AM THE… THE…” I couldn’t bring my usual introduction out. “I AM HIS BROTHER, PAPYRUS. YOUR UNCLE, I GUESS.”

 

“Uncle Papyrus? Daddy talked about you. Great Papyrus?” He actually taught them my name? He still used my nickname? Sans, you really did respect me that much. I thought it was just an act, to make me feel better. Brother, thank you.

 

“YES, THE GREAT PAPYRUS.” The voices became a bit happier at that.

 

“How we help?”

 

“YOU WOULD LISTEN TO ME?”

 

“Gaster Blasters live to help Daddy. Daddy hurt, someone hurt Daddy. We trust Uncle Papy.”

 

“ACTUALLY, THERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN DO.” I pushed myself to my feet, weakly shambling. I looked behind me, locking eyes with the largest blaster. Undyne seemed surprised, probably because I had seemed to be just sitting there silently for a minute or two.

 

“THIS PERSON WHO HURT SANS… THEY ARE OVER IN THAT PIT THERE. A SPIRIT HAS TAKEN THE BODY OF A DEAR FRIEND, ONE WHO WISHES ONLY TO HELP. PLEASE, TO SEE SANS’S LAST WISH OUT, TO HELP FRISK, I BEG YOU…” I rose my arms to the sky, yelling my desire to the heavens themselves.

 

“HELP ME STOP THEM!” Magic started to leave my body, linking more firmly to various points across the city. The most was centered on the device in front of me. Its eyes burned a bright, crazed blue. Suddenly, it was like my subconscious had another side, the world from the blasters’ points of view.

 

“This, IS ACCEPTABLE.” With a single thought, they all started to come to me. Dust fell from within as they pulled from wherever they landed. We all had one purpose, to protect what friends we had left. The largest blaster, Deus Machina as it told me, came to life, lifting up and hovering directly above my head.

 

“Papyrus, what’s going on?” I almost forgot Undyne was there. My face felt like it had taken on a way more serious look than usual. Her concerns were reasonable. I slowly started pacing off to the crater. “Where do you think you’re going!?”

 

“TO MAKE MY BROTHER PROUD.” I did not expect that hard edge in my voice. No one did, apparently. Everyone in ear shot just looked at me and the hive I led in awe, moving should my path go through them. “YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE COVER, FRIENDS. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW WELL THIS WILL WORK.”

 

I got to the edge of the pit, looking over the upturned dirt inside. The human’s laughter finally stopped, and I got my first good look at them. They had twisted Frisk’s body somehow. Their hair was a few notches brighter, their grin was far more creepy, and their sweater had become green with a single yellow stripe. The most striking thing was their eyes, just small pupils in a sea of white, surrounded by blood red fog.

 

“You’re getting weirdly gutsy, Papyrus. Get it? Skeleton, guts? Heh, I kill me, but not yet. It would be kinda hard to kill you when I’m dead.” From Sans and Frisk, the puns were annoying. From this child, they were infuriating. For once in my life, I didn’t beat those emotions down with a shovel. This time, I could actually use them.

 

“WHO ARE YOU, GHOST CHILD?”

 

“Oh, no one special.” They had put both hands behind their head, eyes closed as they chuckled out an answer. “Just Chara, the player you’ve been waiting for. Took longer than usual, but man is this boss rush worth it!”

 

“Didn’t expect my RPG to just go Sims on me, but it was a fun twist! I mean, leading that Frisk kid around, getting them nice and ready for the final battle against the little skeleton? Real rewarding, I’ll tell you what. And now you’re telling me he was just the first boss in line? This is gonna be awesome!”

 

“YOU… ACTUALLY BELIEVE THIS IS ALL A GAME!?” I had to check my metaphorical ears for damage later. This was just beyond nuts. It was cashews! “OUR LIVES ARE NOT YOURS TO PLAY WITH. MY BROTHER, MY BEST FRIEND, AND NOW YOU WANT EVERYONE ELSE. I WON’T STAND FOR IT!” The blasters glowed a deep orange, pulling from my magic pool to charge.

 

“I HAVE SEEN YOU IN MY DREAMS, CHARA. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE MET. I AM UNSURE OF THE DETAILS, BUT WE HAVE FACED EACH OTHER BEFORE. THIS TIME, HOWEVER, I KNOW BETTER THAN TO TRY SPEAKING REASON TO YOU.”

 

“SOME WOULD CALL ME A FOOL, AND, SURE, MAYBE I AM. I CAN MISS THE OBVIOUS, MY EGO CAN GO TOO FAR SOMETIMES, AND I CAN BE FAR TOO TRUSTING. BUT THAT IS WHAT LED ME TO BEFRIENDING FRISK. I DIDN’T REGRET ANY OF IT, UNTIL NOW.” I felt tears start rolling down my cheekbones.

 

“BECAUSE I WAS SO LENIENT WITH YOU A MINUTE AGO, MY BROTHER IS DEAD. I WON’T MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN, I SWEAR ON MY LIFE.” This anger was empowering. It burned me inside, like a pool of toxins in my bones, but I felt myself growing all the stronger as it seeped into my magic streams.

 

“LISTEN TO ME NOW, CHARA! YOUR TERROR HAS GONE TOO FAR. I FIGHT IN MEMORY OF FRISK, WHO YOU’VE TWISTED TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS. IN MEMORY OF SANS, WHO FELL WHILE WE SO FOOLISHLY UNDERESTIMATED YOU. IN HOPES OF A BRIGHT FUTURE, THAT WHICH YOU WOULD DESTROY. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, STAND IN THE PLACE OF MY BROTHER BEFORE ME, OPPOSING YOU!”

 

“Now that’s what I’m talking about, thin man! Come get some!” They pulled their arms back in front, a knife forming from nothing. Alright, blasters, let’s do this.

 

“BROS. ATTACK, BONES AND BRIMSTONE!” From my armor, I pulled handfuls of my best bones. They filled the air, accompanied by the shriek of the blasters. Orange and white clouded my vision. “NYEH HEH HEH!”

 

-

 

I couldn’t believe my eye. Papyrus was actually going all out? I mean, there couldn’t have been a better time for it, but it was still a shock. I had to admit, just standing there laughing as those guns tore wildly through the pit and bones swept up around them, he looked pretty badass.

 

Alright, Undyne, enough just sitting there. I never back down from a fight, and this was no exception. Papyrus knew Frisk well, and if he was sure they would rather be dead, well, I wouldn’t argue.

 

I put a new spear together, waiting for the blasters to cool down. Just running in there would be suicide. At least I had a minute to think. Heh, who knew Sans was so insanely powerful, right? I mean, he never trained, rarely pushed himself, never looked like anything more than a joker.

 

Then he blew half of the Underground’s capital away. A wake up call if I ever had one. Those blasters were part of it, but I knew it wasn’t all. Pap’s lasers were a good deal smaller than his. Maybe it was because Sans was more familiar with them, but pairing that with the weird blue magic stuff he had going painted a good picture. He dwarfed Papyrus’s skill every which way. Never judge a book by its cover, I guess.

 

The blasts finally died down. I ran ahead, past the now heavily sweating Papyrus, and leaped in. Chara had some real wonky aim, missing me with every fireball. I landed, turning into a spinning sweep with the spear. They jumped to dodge, making them an easy target for my mule kick. The back of their head slammed on the pit wall, dazing them.

 

“Ugh, I hate confusion effects…” They sounded like that one guy who regretted getting on the roller coaster. They were too out of it to see Mettaton get his senses back, pelting them with a barrage of guitar solos. When they actually got the sense to start dodging, Muffet was already back in the fray. Her webs couldn’t stop them, but they were significantly slower trying to run on them.

 

“Bug off!” they yelled, a burst of fire spewing from their mouth. Muffet, with all the grace of a ballerina, spun around the shot.

 

“Excuse me, but I’m an arachnid, not a bug!” She looked like she was still kinda peeved about them busting up the trap.

 

“No one said there’d be science!” Wow, they hated school almost as much as me! We’d probably get along great if they weren’t a little psychopath. They threw their hands to the ground, a wave of flame flowing out from them. The webbing on the ground was burnt up, and I had to jump to stay out of the way. Too bad they liked the idea of my little trick, kicking me out of the sky.

 

They were a quick little puke, and it showed up pretty well with the footprint they left on my shirt. They looked completely confused as I pulled myself back up, but I couldn’t figure out why. They were chased off by a flurry of bones before I could ask. I gave Pap a thumbs up, thanking him for the cover.

 

This was going to be a long fight.

 

-

 

I took refuge behind a collapsed wall. It was taking everything I had to calm my damaged nerves. There was no more denying it. That really was Chara out there, terrorizing innocent monsters using Frisk’s body. It was taking everything I had to not break down in tears, but nothing halted the hyperventilating.

 

I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, which turned out to be Asgore. The truth was wearing on him, too, it seemed, his face sagging under its weight.

 

“Asgore, that’s…”

 

“I know, Tori. I know.”

 

“What kind of demon did we care for so long ago?” All I could feel was the sharp sting of betrayal. We gave them a home, tended their wounds, gave them all of our love, only for them to attempt genocide against our kind. All those times they had ‘accidentally’ hurt Asgore were cast in a new light, and it sickened me that we did not see it sooner.

 

“You must focus, Tori. It is true we once watched over this evil, but we can make amends for it right now. By aiding the good you watch over now. Frisk needs us out there, as I am certain they enjoy this about as much as us. Besides, what would Sans say about you ridiculing yourself again?”

 

That last remark was both damaging and giggle worthy. I could practically hear his chastisement. _‘this habit of yours is a royal pain. no need to be so bone-ly while_ _i’m around. i have enough for both of us.’_ But that was just it, he wasn’t around. I, however, was. And may I be cursed if I allowed his final act to go to waste. Fire returned to my Soul, and he saw it behind my eyes.

 

“That is the spirit I remember. What do you say to one more team up, for old time’s sake?” My grin became predatory.

 

“I say you had better still be able to keep up!” I dashed from behind cover, Asgore following closely behind, as a wayward spray of fire reduced it to rubble. Chara saw us closing in, trying to hit us between avoiding the bones and sound waves.

 

In the corner of my eyes, I saw Sans’s blasters charging again. It would take a minute to get to maximum capacity, giving us an effective timer. We just needed to hold them off that long.

 

That would be a more difficult task than you would think, their speed allowing them to close a ten yard gap swiftly. I was able to ward them off with my own flames, but they were still able to start circling us without challenge.

 

“Hello, ‘Mother’ dear, heh!” Their laugh, once an endearing quirk, was now a bone chilling omen. “And ‘Father,’ how nice of you to actually get off your butt and do something.” Asgore did not take kindly to the taunts.

 

“This is how you repay us for taking you in so long ago?”

 

“You really thought I cared about any of you back then? No, no, you’ve got the wrong idea. I just wanted those pretty little Souls of yours. I mean, could you imagine the kind of power I could muster up if I had even one of them? In fact…” The length of their knife was coated in a scarlet flame.

 

“…I think I’ll try it now!” They were fortunate they had such raw physical strength, otherwise their combat method of charging forward would be entirely useless. As it stood, a small amount of strategy was all we would need. I rose my hands, a great wall of flame rising between us.

 

It didn’t stop them, my barrier parting with a wave of their hand. Unfortunately for them, Asgore was prepared for this counter. He stood beside the breach, his trident falling as they passed. He was able to scratch the back of their legs, sending them tumbling into the building behind us. It was not the direct hit we were looking for, but it was considerably better than nothing.

 

We fell back as 01 and 02 took on front line duties. A constant rotation kept any single combatant from becoming too tired, while shuffling the order slightly as we went kept it from becoming repetitive and, thus, easy to anticipate. It was an effective plan, which we would need for the war ahead.

 

Somehow, throughout it all, Papyrus never left his station. He and the hive he inherited followed Chara closely, morphing their firing patterns to better fit amongst the attack style of whatever ally he had at the time. I had never known him as an angry monster, something I hold as truth to this day, but I apply no hyperbole when I say he fought as a being possessed.

 

Chara avoided the pincer attacks of the Guards and found themselves on the receiving end of the largest blaster’s fury. They leaped over a barrage from Mad Dummy’s magic missile brigade only to be pulled back in by the force of blue magic. I am still uncertain how Brutus forced his way that deep into the combat zone, but he was more than a match for Chara at hand to hand so long as Papyrus accompanied him with two bone clubs.

 

He was muttering quietly to himself the whole time. I was only able to hear him clearly once, as Asgore and I withdrew from the frontline. Where his brow would be furrowed, the joyous twinkle in his eye sockets replaced by the constant glow of two focused orbs.

 

“…left step, counter, small blaster. deus machine charge, sixty-seven percent, three minutes left. tackle, counter, blue bones. twin blaster shot… ready…” He shook his skull, tapping it in an effort to stay awake. “come on, you must remain conscious. sans wouldn’t want you to die just because you got tired. twin blasters in position. fire, now…”

 

With every passing hour, my already great respect for him grew. If it weren’t for his efforts, we wouldn’t have lasted as long as we did. We would have lost shortly after Sans perished, the panicked crowd unable to rally together in the hysteria. I swore to find a just way to reward his contribution.

 

But first, we would have to survive this war.

 

-

 

I ran as quickly as my legs could carry me, running the trajectory equations in my head to find which pile of rock Sans had been buried under. Even if I didn’t have the necessary strength to be of help in combat, I would still bring Sans… or, what was left of him, home. Even if that timeline was erased, he was still like a brother to me, and he deserved a better resting place than a war zone.

 

Eventually, I found the right one. It was a straight shot from the crater, in the correct general direction, and was at the end of his projected arc. I started hurriedly shoving rocks out of the way, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the blare of lasers signaling the battle was still far away.

 

Every now and then, I found thin plant tendrils running through the rubble. If I wasn’t so focused on the task at hand, I would have questioned how they got there. At the time, I guess I assumed there was a greenhouse on one of the upper floors.

 

What knocked me out of that school of thought was the massive vine I uncovered near the center of the pile. As I shoved more and more debris away, I found that there were several of them, each about as thick around as me. They were arranged like some sort of wall around the core.

 

I expected resistance when I tried prying them open, only to find that they parted for me as I slid my hands between them. When I got to the middle of the plant ball, the final vines slid away to show me what treasure they held, forcing me to gasp in surprise.

 

A lone figure slowly hefted its torso up, dust falling from its tattered, deep blue coat. It seemed groggy, movements sluggish, slowed by various pebbled lodged within its joints. I didn’t waste another second to help it up.

 

“Sans, you’re alive!” I pulled him into a hug, relief flooding my heart. The way he looked around bleary-eyed told me he was no less shocked. “We thought you were… were…” I couldn’t finish my sentence, too choked up by the tears of joy.

 

“i… i don’t know what happened. crashed and… thought i was a goner. even went through the life before my eye sockets thing. saw some green, then blacked out.”

 

“I guess that was all the vines. You had a thick wall around you when I dug you up.” His confusion was overtaken by a startled shock.

 

“vines? there’s only one guy who can do that. but why would he…?”

 

“Howdy! Golly, you must be, like, so confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flower Ex Machina!
> 
> Oh, and since I just love spelling out overused story details, Undertale Fanfic Trope #2: Saying just how heavy of a weight Flowey's fate is for Frisk, and then only mentioning him one other time, if that, unless he is the story's focus. Come now, he's the keystone to the best moments in the game. Show the weed a little respect. But just a little.


	21. The Undying

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The greatest Souls never truly vanish. They simply fall into a deep sleep, waiting for when they are needed most...

I shook the last of the rocks out of my skull, leaning on Alphys for support as I stared down the creepy flower. He seemed a bit too smug, but he did save my life. What I wanted to know was why.

 

“alright, brussels sprout, what’s the catch?” He giggled into a leaf.

 

“Catch? You really think I would put a price tag on a life? What an IDIOT!” That chortle was one of the most grating sounds I knew, right up there with tearing styrofoam.

 

“look, you don’t like me, and i don’t like you. there’s gotta be something in it for ya if you saved me.”

 

“You really need me to spell it out for you? There’s a scientist right there. Could you answer him?” Alphys was in the same boat as me, shrugging as she digested what she was looking at. “Wait, really? Golly, they’ll let any old idiot join up as a scientist these days. Okay, I’ll make this really simple for you.”

 

“In any timeline where Chara won, they always killed me right after Asgore. Now they’re in this timeline, killing everyone again. If you stop them before they get to me, I get to live. There, get it now?”

 

“you actually need me to do the dirty work for you? i know you’re more than capable.” I looked pointedly at the large vines poking out of the ground here and there.

 

“But, Sans, Flowey’s just a flower. He isn’t strong enough to stand up to Chara like that.” Alphys hadn’t put two and two together yet.

 

“you’d be right, if that’s what he actually was. my bet is that he just likes this form’s chances of staying undercover more. see all these vines?” She nodded, curious what I was getting at. “these things take up a whole lot of magic. only a top tier monster could make them, or one who got up the ladders some other way.” I looked Flowey square in the eyes.

 

“you still have the six human Souls, don’t you?” His mouth went all jagged as he cackled again. I swear I was a second away from uprooting the little weed. It was a long day, what’d you expect?

 

“Oh, them. Yeah, I have them. Haven’t been all that chatty as of late. I think whatever presence was in them flew the coop a while ago. Still, they left all that juicy power behind. I’m still firing on all cylinders, bone butt!”

 

“so, why won’t you help us? sounds like you’ve got as much to lose as any of us.” Just stay calm Sans. You can resist the urge to make that salad a little longer.

 

“Now you’re going into full moron territory! If I went out there, it wouldn’t just be Chara I’d have to fight. They’re in Frisk’s body, who, I should add, knows all my best moves like the back of their hand. That muscle memory paired up with Chara’s intent? I’d be fertilizing the lawn by sundown. Then they’d have six more human Souls and all the power of a god.”

 

Yeah, that did sound bad when he put it like that. I looked over to the light show, the kid’s body jumping every which way to stay ahead of the blasters. Wait, the blasters? Looked like Pap was at the wheel. Guess he figured it out while I was snoozing. What a cool dude.

 

I needed to think, fast. I already threw everything I had and then some at Chara, and it barely did squat. Come on, bonehead, think. This wasn’t something I could fix my usual way. I needed some other angle to come at it.

 

What would Frisk do?

 

I looked to the ground, thinking about the kid. They were the best we had, but even they couldn’t stop Chara forever. They had suffered for months already because of them. I mean, the wrong stimuli alway sent that magic of theirs into overdrive…

 

Lightning struck, an idea forming as quickly as I could register it. Frisk was still in there somewhere, fighting. They just didn’t have the power, the Determination, to overthrow Chara. If they just got a little boost, maybe they could start getting some ground back. I just needed a way to get a message to them…

 

“Sans, what’s wrong?” Alphys was shaking my arm, apparently worried about the sudden change in demeanor.

 

“nothing. in fact, something might be horribly right. how well do you remember everyone’s… parting words in those other timelines?” She shuffled uncomfortably from foot to foot.

 

“I memorized them all down to the smallest inflection.”

 

“good. try to find a way to get everyone down there to say their’s to the kid. can you do that?”

 

“W-what!?” She started hyperventilating, worries overtaking her mind. “What if it sparks a mass vision, or, or locks them all up in place by forcing the entire timeline in at once? There are too many possibilities, too many uncertainties, t-too many…”

 

“ALPHYS.” I looked her dead in the eye, my serious tone giving way to a supportive shoulder grip. “if things go south, i can cover up any down time we need. come on, trust me. i trust you.” She blinked a few times, forcing down the lump in her throat.

 

“Okay, Sans. I’ll try. Just, try not to die this time, okay?” I gave her my cockiest grin.

 

“no need to patella me twice. you skull-ding me is the least of my worries there.” She covered up a little giggle, nodding in understanding. “and you…” I looked as harshly as I could at the flower. “if you’re not gonna help us, get out of here.”

 

“No need to tell me twice, bone butt. Toodles!” And just like that, we were one serving of greens down. Oh well, he’d probably taste nasty anyway. Spoiled rotten, bleck.

 

“ready?” She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves for the thick of combat.

 

“As ready as I’ll ever be. What are you going to do?”

 

“get my show face on. i mean, do you see these bags under my sockets? under ruins aren’t a great place for beauty sleep.” I blinked away, waiting for the right time to play my part.

 

-

 

I tapped my foot impatiently. Come on, pick up the phone. Sans was counting on me to not screw up again. This time, failure wasn’t an option. A click at the other end of the line, finally!

 

“Alphys, are you alright? I was worried sick when we lost contact!” It was good to know Mettaton still cared.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Look, I have a plan that might help us turn the tides here.”

 

“That’s our doctor, always quick on her feet when we need her most!” A little bit of that spark was back in his voice. “So, what did you cook up for us?”

 

“Oh, I didn’t, Sans did.” The following gasp was almost deafening.

 

“Sans!? He’s okay? Oh, thank goodness, Papyrus has been running himself absolutely ragged! We’ll have to tell him all about…” I cut him off with a cough. “Oh, right, crisis to be averted. What’s his idea?”

 

“I’m not certain of the details, but I think he wants to spark Frisk’s Determination back up. Doing so might weaken Chara’s grasp on their body, and, in the process, weaken their ability to fight us.”

 

“Well, that sounds all well and good in theory, but how?”

 

“That’s the tricky part. There are things we’ve been hiding from all of you, Sans, Frisk, and I, for a while now. We’ll answer to it later, but for now I need you to remember a very specific phrase. I have one for everyone else, too, but they have to say it in a small enough time frame for maximum effect. I’ll tell them all to try to say theirs when you strum the first ten chords of Death by Glamor. I’ll call you again when I’ve told everyone.” A long pause followed.

 

“Alphys, I’ll do it, but only on one condition.” I gulped at the serious edge in his voice. As such, I didn’t expect how much energy there would be behind his demand. “I expect either a good explanation for this dishonesty of yours or a written apology in duplicate, no, triplicate! It can wait until after this all passes, but I will hold you to it. Am I clear?”

 

“Um, yeah. Metta, you sound a lot more, well, calm.” Not quite the right word, but it was the closest one I could find.

 

“But of course! We have a plan given by our resident trustworthy Sans and approved by the great Doctor Alphys. I have complete faith in that team up, and I’m sure everyone else feels the same. Now, what do you need me to say?”

 

-

 

Ugh, the boss rush was starting to get way too long. My legs were starting to go all rubbery. It kind of sucked, especially with the thin man refusing. To. Die! Oh come on! I totally hit him that time! I called hacks!

 

“Why won’t you just die already!?” In my frustration, I didn’t even notice they had led me back to that crater. I picked up the robot starting to play again, but it wasn’t pointed at me. I glanced that way, just to see him focusing on his tune. He hit, like, then strings. Kind of a low, smoky sound. I thought his circuits were fried.

 

“I… guess you won’t… be joining my fan club?”

 

“Hey, the cocky grin is my thing! And no, I won’t be joining your stupid fan…” My head started to ache. Guess that Frisk kid wasn’t quite gone yet. Oh well, it would just be a little longer before they gave up that silly little hope of theirs. The skeleton came in close, but just used the opening to start talking again. Wuss.

 

“I KNOW YOU CAN BE GOOD… I PROMISE…” Good? But I was fighting with everything I had! How could I get better if you all refused to die!? My head was really throbbing now. Your body was in bad condition, too. You thought you felt a few cracked bones…

 

Oh no you don’t! I won this thing fair and square. Back off.

 

“As we speak, Alphys is evacuating everyone. Hear that, freak!? You lose!” I looked at the edge of the pit, the fish lady standing there with this real weird grin. That smile made you think everything would be alright…

 

No, no, no! Stay down! You weren’t done yet. Chara would have to work a bit harder than that. Your friends were counting on you to be strong. You failed to keep them out, but you could at least try to hold them down.

 

“You hate me… that much?” That pain in Mom’s voice left a scratch on your very Soul. No, you didn’t hate her, and you wouldn’t let Chara make her think otherwise. Grr, JUST GIVE UP!

 

“it’s a beautiful day outside…” Oh great! How many times did I have to kill the same stinking bag of bones!? “birds are singing, flowers are blooming. on days like this, kids like you…” I finally found him, standing at the top of one of the few not wrecked buildings in town. His sockets opened up to that black void that met me so many times back in my timeline.

 

“SHOULD BE BURNING IN HELL.” I blinked, just to see that he had warped right in front of you. Everyone was looking your way, shocked beyond all belief to see Sans standing there. He was tougher than they gave him credit for, something you could fully vouch for. Papyrus was starting to well up a little.

 

“so come on, kid.” He held out his right hand, the one he wouldn’t try to dunk you with. “what say you kick chara back to their own world so we can go to grillby’s. my treat.” You thought it was a wonderful idea.

 

No, you needed me, kid! You’re weak, spineless, and I was strong! You didn’t need all these weirdos with me around! No, you did need them. Besides, on the weird scale, Chara outweighed every monster here combined. By more than a few notches, you added.

 

A pressure started to pound away at the inside of your chest. You knew it well, the weight of a Soul being forced from your body. Chara’s pilfered Soul was almost out. You just needed a little more, a few more drops of power…

 

You fell to your knees, a static buzzing in your ears. You thought you heard someone behind it, but you weren’t sure. Your Determination was going haywire, lightning and fire blasting in every direction. Everyone had taken cover behind the Royal Guards present, 01 and 02 alone protecting all the ex-residents of Hotland. Well, almost everyone.

 

Sans still stood in front of you, your magic arching oh so close to, but never touching, him. He was determined to stand his ground. His presence pushed you forward, along with the chants from the crowd.

 

“Come on, Frisk, I believe in you!” Alphys…

 

“She’s not the only one, punk.” Undyne, too. “Even if you don’t believe in yourself, just believe in us! Believe in the Undyne that believes in you!” Heh, you got that reference. It was just too perfect.

 

You pushed even harder, the metaphorical ground breaking beneath you. You were certain there was another voice in your head, between Chara yelling for you to give up and you answering in the negative. No, it wasn’t either of you. It was someone else, someone you knew.

 

‘ _Please, child, I wish to help you. Reach up and call my name.’_ You looked to the sky, both arms reaching for the heavens themselves. No, past them, beyond the reach of time. In that place was the one who could tip these scales for good. You took a deep breath and yelled his name.

 

“Gaster!” In the corner of you vision, Sans had dropped his smile, not ready to hear you scream the name of his old friend. Your lightning started twisting into itself, a pillar reaching into the sky. Twenty feet up, it stopped, the tip blurring in a cloud of television static. Thunder clapped, and your power fizzed out.

 

Where it had once ended was now a mask, falling to the ground. It clicked on impact, you scrambling to pick it up with what little control you could manage. Just as you expected, it was a damaged theater mask, one eye turned up in glee, the other down in sorrow. Without a second thought, you put it on.

 

Now the thunder was in your head. A sharp sting rang out from your chest, and, suddenly, it was overpowered by a more comforting aura. A soft, gentle energy set itself over your own. It gently encased you, making it harder and harder to stay conscious.

 

 _‘Rest now, friend, I can handle this while you sleep.’_ You found yourself agreeing with him, too tired to argue. The stage was yours, Gaster…

 

-

 

My nonexistent ears were still ringing from the kid yelling when that red blob of energy spewed out of their chest. I ducked under it, turning to see just what I avoided. It looked a lot like the kid, but with a few key differences (aside from the solid red coloring, anyway.)

 

The hair was a bit longer, the sweater only had one stripe, and they looked considerably more peeved. They slammed a fist into the ground, letting loose the most impressive string of swears I’d heard since Undyne dropped that anvil on her foot. If I had to wager a guess at that point, it would be that I was looking at the devil child who made all this junk happen.

 

I glanced back to Frisk just as they were standing up. Their head was still pointed to the ground, so I couldn’t see their eyes. What I did see, though, was that it was clearly Gaster’s mask they were wearing. Did he find some way to help from wherever he was locked up? Thanks, man. I heard footsteps rushing behind me and hopped to the side in response, narrowly avoiding a punch.

 

“You should be dead! I hit you with everything I had! AND A BUILDING FELL ON YOU!” I grabbed their next swing, throwing them off balance. They had lost their marbles after losing their body.

 

“well, you can thank your brother for keeping the building off me.” The mention of that flower made them all the angrier. “and, uh, how do i put this? you didn’t have all the power in that body. see, you had a handle on its physical state. emotionally, though, it was frisk. they’ve got no killing intent for us, so as long as they held on, you couldn’t leave as big of a mark.” They were getting more and more mad, but eventually just stopped. A smirk formed, that evil laugh echoing in my skull.

 

“I couldn’t hurt you in there, but out here, I’m the boss. That means I can actually kill you now!” Their hand went up, a flaming knife forming, but it was shot to the ground by a wayward string of electricity.

 

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.” That voice, it was way too deep to be the kid’s. I knew the voice well, it was…

 

“Who the heck are you to ruin my fun anyway?” He rose Frisk’s head, their whole body going straight and proper. It was the only way he ever stood, too professional for even a casual slouch. When their face came into view, I saw that the mouth and eye holes were covered up by a black, inky void. Two bright dots glowed in those depths.

 

“Well, I have a few names, depending on who asks. To coworkers, I am Professor. Close friends, Gas. Family, Gassy.” I still had to giggle at that one. “But you, oh scum of the Underground, may address my as Professor W.D. Gaster.” His eye lights took on a frighteningly small size, a dark mist flowing from the openings on his mask.

 

“HE WHO SPEAKS IN HANDS.” This was delivered at an earth rumbling volume, echoing of several tones. Now I knew where I picked it up from. “You have made it your life goal to eradicate whatever world you inhabit, using whatever method you believe to be most amusing. This tomfoolery has continued time and time again, throughout too many timelines to count. I should know, I’ve tried.”

 

“Consider this your wake up call, Chara. So long as this one stands before you, this realm and the innocent therein are off limits.” Their body leaked electricity at a constant rate. There was something off about it, though. It was a deep, dark purple, and looking at it gave me a little taste of the abyss he had been locked in for so long. “Transient spirit of malice, be gone!”

 

His next words took the shape of an alien language. It was a string of clicks and taps, their meanings unknown to all but those few who were taught. Lucky for all of you, I am one of them. They translated as such.

 

“Spirits of the storm, aid me now. Eternal Spark.” I was forced to blink back out of the pit as the air ignited. From the new vantage point, it looked like a giant, prolonged lightning bolt of that same purple hue had enveloped the entire crash site.

 

I caught a spot of red leaping from the beam, warping closer for a better look. I grabbed a handful of the blasters Pap dropped, just incase. Actually, why not fire off a shot or two? I was able to clip them both times, and it actually did some decent damage. Without all of the LOVE Frisk packed away, they were as vulnerable as ever. Well, maybe not as bad as back during our fight in that distant timeline, but still pretty pathetic.

 

Gaster took my interruption pretty well, placing his Sparks to cut off the little psychopath’s escape routes. Didn’t really take all that long for them to get whittled down to one HP. Gassy and I made a pretty good team. We stared them down, ready to send them back to Hell, just like I said they should.

 

“You really think this’ll be it? No, I’ll be back, and stronger than ever. I hate having to grind to win, but I hate losing even more. But, most of all, I hate **you**.”

 

“you talk way too much. want the honors, pal?” He’d earned as much for saving our skins.

 

“I would be delighted, bony boy. Good to see you still have a little bit of gentleman in you somewhere. So long, Chara. May you fare poorly.” We didn’t exactly get to carry our end out, unfortunately. With a wind piercing shriek, Chara vanished. So much for finishing them off. I looked at my conjoined pals, giving them a thumbs up.

 

“good work out there. never really took you as a fighter, but you pulled through.” They returned the gesture, but started to wobble back and forth.

 

“It seems Frisk’s body has finally had enough. It held up… admirably…” Without another word, they toppled over kind of like most of the city’s skyscrapers.

 

“time for a nap, pal?” I felt my eyes growing heavy. “sounds like a plan to me.” I followed them to the floor, consciousness already fading. Footsteps hit my ears, hands running over my body. Guess they were worried I’d poof into dust. Nah, not my time yet. Just needed some sleep. I earned that much, right?

 

“SANS IS OKAY!”

 

“So is Frisk, er, Gaster? Both? Ugh, this body snatching junk is messing with my head. Here, let me check their’s for damage. Wait, the mask isn’t coming off! It’s stuck!” Yeah, Gaster had a thing for sticking around. Better luck next time, Undyne. I felt Papyrus picking me up in a hug.

 

“THANK GOODNESS YOU TWO ARE ALRIGHT. I THOUGHT I… I…” C’mon, Pap, don’t cry. I’ll be up and messing with you again, as soon as I get some sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! It's the end. Yes, friends, this tale of ours has drawn to a close...
> 
> EDIT: Ignore that first line. Some silly little doggy forgot the bow on this package. One chapter left to go.
> 
> ...but NOT this series. That's right, I'm still on my Undertale high and have more than a few ideas left in the tank. This car isn't slowing down just yet, just hitting a speed bump. I'll take a week or so to load up on backlog chapters for the next story, and then the river shall floweth once more.
> 
> What story, you may ask? Well, you may remember a few chapters back that I included a flashback to Alphys fighting Chara in a Genocide run. What exactly led to that I wonder, and where would it go? I'll take my shot at that little idea, leaving all of you waiting patiently (hopefully) to see where the little scuffle up above leaves everything. Aren't I a kind and benevolent Cliff Hanger?


	22. The Greater the Shadow...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the tower falls, one must look around at what remains. For that which has survived the turmoil has proven its worth.

I skid my way down the side of the pit, keeping an eye open incase Chara had anything else up their sleeves. They faked being beat once, they could do it again. Papyrus seemed confident enough, outright leaping down the big drop.

 

I was nothing if not daring, pushing off the wall. Wasn’t quite as high as going from the top, but it was enough for me. Man, that skeleton was quick. By the time I landed, he was already looking over Sans. Looked like he had him covered, so I went along to check Frisk.

 

I ran my hands over their body, trying to remember what all those books said about human bodies. Their ribs seemed alright, probably just a little cracked if anything. The arms were a little worse off, all stiff, but they looked fine otherwise.

 

“SANS IS OKAY!” I turned his way, finding that glowing smile of his was back. I was really missing that. That weird stoic side he put up was just plain weird.

 

“So is Frisk, er, Gaster? Both?” I’m not simple minded by any means. I mean, you need to be brainy to follow some anime out there, but this was really screwing with my mind. “Ugh, this body snatching junk is messing with my head. Here, let me check their’s for damage.” I tried pulling that creepy mask off, but it wouldn’t budge.

 

“Wait, the mask isn’t coming off! It’s stuck!” I put everything I had into prying it off, even tried using my teeth at one point, but it still just sat there. It was, like, super-glued on there. I sized it up, getting a better look at the thing.

 

It was unnerving at best. Its eyes were pointed in opposite directions. One was bent up, like it was the happiest it had ever been, but the other went down, like it was just depressed. The small smile under them could have fit with either reasonably enough. It was dented in a few places, huge cracks running from the eyes out. Each eye had one, the left running up to the top, the other going down until it hit the mouth. Just looking at it, I felt like I had seen it before, but I wasn’t sure where.

 

“THANK GOODNESS YOU TWO ARE ALRIGHT. I THOUGHT I… I…” Glancing back, I caught Papyrus hugging his brother close. He was bawling his sockets off, hiccuping with every breath. Darn it, Bonehead. One minute you’re king badass, the next you’re all touchy feely. Make up your mind! Oh great, now you’ve got me crying. Not much, but it was still there. Gotta cut this out somehow.

 

“C’mon, Pap, these two need medical attention.” He wiped the tears off with his scarf, hefting up Sans. Dude might be on the bigger side, but he shouldn’t have been that heavy. That’s when it hit me. Pap was fighting on the front line the whole time. When he tried walking, he tripped over his own boots. He caught himself easily enough, but still wasn’t in great shape. He was starting to get kind of shaky on his feet.

 

“Okay, you need to rest up.” I picked up the kid in one arm, reaching out with the other one to take Sans. Pap wouldn’t have it, though, leaning away.

 

“no, no, i can do this. just need to…” He slapped the side of his head, eye lights flickering like a bad bulb. It looked like it woke him up a little, but I doubted he could keep it up much longer. Before I could talk him out of it, or, worst case scenario, slap some sense into him, Toriel dropped out of the sky in front of me.

 

“Undyne, please tell me they are alright.” I handed the kid over without a second thought. Getting between her and Frisk was a one way ticket to being the special at a sushi bar.

 

“Ribs might be a little off, and you’ll want to be careful with the arms, but they seem fine otherwise.” She was relieved to hear that, holding them close in her own hug. I was starting to feel left out, hoping Alphys didn’t mind a night of cuddling on the couch later. We could both probably use it.

 

“Oh Frisk, I am so sorry. If I had seen the signs, both of Chara’s intent and your distress, sooner, I could have stopped this. I will see to it you get properly treated, right away.” She might have gone on longer if she didn’t hear Pap’s rattling. She turned around, taking shocked note of his bleached complexion. “Oh my, you don’t look so well.”

 

“i’m fine, your majesty. just need to get… sans… help.” His breathing was starting to get kinda funny, too. He was on the verge of passing out. Toriel, thinking of something, pulled a little shiny bag out of her pocket.

 

“Here, some food might help you now.” He at least listened to one piece of advice, looking the bag over.

 

“premium grades chisps? i thought this line was discontinued.”

 

“Apparently, Alphys still had some hidden away in her old laboratory.” He didn’t hear her that time, already crunching away at the snack. The effect was immediate, the healthy white glow returning to his bones. Sans’s weight suddenly became a nonissue, holding him up like he was a feather.

 

“HUZZAH! THREE CHEERS FOR MY TRAINING SNACK OF CHOICE!” It was insane. No one ever recovered that quick, even with top tier munchies! Somewhere out there, I knew eldritch horrors were dreading the idea of ever meeting him. “COME NOW, FRIENDS! WE HAVE A HOSPITAL TO VISIT AND QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED! NYEH HEH HEH!” And, just like that, he was out of the hole, running back to the surface.

 

“Wait, where did Frisk go!?” I took a closer look, noticing the kid was sitting in Pap’s free arm. I needed to stop questioning that skeleton, for the sake of my health. “Papyrus, wait for us!” And now, he had an angry goat mom on his tailbone. R.I.P. Papyrus, he was a good monster…

 

I pulled myself up the dirt walls, a set of hands pulling me up when I got close. It was nice of Greater and Lesser Dog to help, both getting a pet in return. I scanned the crowd, everyone celebrating victory in their own way.

 

Brutus and Lansot fist bumped (the latter using the top of his head instead. How did he not get migraines?), before following the enraged hollering of Toriel. Muffet was passing out donuts, free of charge, and for once it wasn’t with the stipulation of having to buy something else. Mad Dummy… Well, he looked a little less mad, at least.

 

Everyone seemed happy enough, but I knew better than to let my guard down just yet. It was time for a quick meeting.

 

“Royal Guard, line up!” My yell brought everyone’s eyes to me, the guards rushing to follow the order. In ten seconds flat, they were all assembled in a line. Dog quintet, check. 01 and 02, check. Ah, Final Froggit, truly the most mysterious of our ranks. And he brought along Whimsalot and Knight Knight. Neat.

 

“Okay, people, listen up! We have successfully secured both Frisk and Sans with no casualties.” The crowd erupted in a cheer, which I had to, like a jerk, cut short. “This is not a complete victory yet. We all saw that the spirit behind this, Chara, escaped. We are unsure where, or even why they would betray us like this or how they returned from death, but we do know we can’t rest easy until they are taken care of. I expect you all to be on high alert, understand!?”

 

“Ma’am, yes, Ma’am!”

 

“Woof!”

 

“Maybe later.”

 

“Shut up, Jerry!”

 

“Good! Then you’re all dismissed.” Everyone started leaving in droves, eager to get back above ground. It took some effort, considering the only way back up was on the wrong side of the Wedding Hall. They were all hopping across the few good bits of floor left to make it out. We would have to get another path set up, even if the only monsters usually down here were mechanics.

 

Well Undyne, nothing left to do right now. I think I’ll go get Alphys’s professional opinion on my evening plans.

 

-

 

I was relieved to see them all leaving. Not exactly a social butterfly, plus it meant Chara wouldn’t be after me just yet. Why would they be when this lot ticked them off a thousand times worse? I had to laugh, my plan working perfectly.

 

That weird tickling in the back of my head stopped, too. Why it insisted on getting the goat all the way back here, I had no idea. I mean, the little idiot would’ve come this way anyway, and it would’ve played out in my favor all the same. Oh well, at least it was leaving me alone now.

 

That meant I was free to get going. First, catch that five o’clock round of Fear Factor. Second, see what kind of chaos this would stir topside. Things were getting interesting again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...the greater the light that casts it. And let me tell you, this is some grade A light.
> 
> Okay, now it's over. If you need me, I think I'll be napping. Power writing is surprisingly draining.


End file.
